Club Akatsuki
by Celtic Water Spirit
Summary: Club Akatsuki, a speakeasy in a dreadful town where mobsters of the highest caliber reside and tend to wealthy customers with more than a little secret business. What happens when the weapons engineer, Sasori, meets a captivating sniper out to kill him, and the blackjack dealer, Itachi Uchiha, is approached by a beautiful grifter out to rob him? (1930s AU) Itachi/OC and Sasori/OC.
1. Life of Crime

_Note that Tobi is just classic Tobi, not Obito or anyone else, because the story is not about him. _

_Promo character design art are on my deviantArt, see profile for links.  
_

_I'm still not entirely sure how to rate this fic. It's rated for illegal activity, guns, alcohol, and cigarettes. If you disagree on the rating, please PM me for a change request._

* * *

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 1**

**Life of Crime**

Not many cars were out so late at night when only the clubs and bars were occupied. In a town full of gangsters and crooks, only the secure and powerful, or insane dared to do anything after dark. Those most secure were in organizations. The two most influential organization of this dreadful town were known as the Akatsuki and the Sound. They each owned a popular club, worked in the underground market for illegal goods, and most of all, were constantly at each other's throats.

It was a quiet night. The lack of gang wars and shootings meant good business in the bars and in gambling, while also providing a chance for the weapon dealers to restock their inventory. There was still an occasional bar fight, but that was the least of their concerns.

"Hey-hey! Itachi, you're here!" Hidan cheered with a glamorous woman on each arm as they waited outside the luxurious well-known Club Akatsuki. Hidan's white hair was perfectly groomed in a slicked back style and adorned a dark violet fedora with a shimmering grey band since he liked to show off and get attention. His suit was black, but lined with a matching dark violet color. He always skipped wearing a tie of any kind, and liked to leave part of his grey shirt opened to show off his religious medallions hanging from his neck. Tonight he had two ebony-haired ladies with bright red fitted dresses and matching red lips.

They weren't the only ones waiting for the dark-haired man to arrive. The club's bodyguard, Kisame turned and waved at his friend as he approached the entrance. Kisame was a tall muscled man with a shark-like appearance and dark blue hair. He was perfect for his job since no one wanted to cause trouble if it meant having to cross him. He wore a plain black fedora and black slacks without a coat. His white button-down was worn with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top two buttons left undone in a relaxed way.

Itachi tipped up his fedora as he met up with them by the main entrance of the club. He saw that there was already quite a line of guests waiting to get in the moment it actually opens. The sun wasn't even down yet.

The young man was formally known as Itachi Uchiha before he was disowned as the next head of his family, but due to circumstances that few knew about, he was working here. His fedora and suit were black with red accents. The top buttons of his shirt where left undone and he wore an unusual necklace. He had fairly long black hair that was tied back into a low ponytail while long bangs framed his face. His face was defined and his sharp dark eyes sported long, thick eyelashes. He was considered to be very attractive among the ladies, so there was swooning as soon as he got close to the club.

"All members are present tonight?" Itachi asked the doorman who nodded.

The doorman was Zetsu. He was a tall man with a stoic expression and he wore a black fedora with a green band. Since he stood outside most of the night, he also wore a black trench coat that was green on the inside. "Yes, everyone else is here tonight, it appears as though we have a good turn out as well," he said and opened the door to let the members of the club in.

"Wonder if Pain will get Sasori out and on stage tonight, looks like everyone will need to work tonight with the crowd we're pulling in," Hidan chuckled as he went inside with his ladies.

"Eh, probably, unless Pain needs him to keep working on making you-know-what," Kisame said.

"What about Deidara? I haven't heard about any new orders he needs to fill, he should at least work in the club tonight," Itachi said.

"Probably," Kisame repeated, but pointed towards the stage at the back of the club where Deidara and Sasori were standing and talking to each other.

Sasori was a man with messy red hair and brown eyes with long top eyelashes. His black suit was lined with an unusual teal color and at the moment his usual back and teal fedora was sitting on top of the piano he was standing next to. The sleeves of his coat were rolled up slightly and the top couple buttons on his button-down were left undone.

Deidara was a man with somewhat long blond hair that covered his left eye. He liked to wear his black and yellow fedora at an angle. Instead of a suit, be wore a button-down of a soft shade of yellow that was almost completely buttoned except for the top button. Over that he wore a fitted black vest fastened closed with a few buttons.

Tobi the bartender was wiping down the counter where his black and orange fedora laid until he remembered to hang it up with his coat. His black hair was kept short but messy, while a pair of orange glasses hid his eyes. He was one of the few members of the whose shirt was completely buttoned properly, including the cuffs. Over his shirt, he also wore a black vest like Deidara.

As the small group entered the club, they sat down to wait for their nightly instructions, the accountant and book keeper, Kakuzu, came in through the doors leading to the back part of the club. Back there was the stairs to the basement, a couple offices, the liquor cellar, the back door, and another set of stairs that led upward to a few apartments above the club which some of the members lived in. Kakuzu wasn't seen around in the actual club much besides before it opens since he worked during the day. He was a tall, serious man with money on the mind. His black suit was always neat even though his hair was not under his hat. He always carried his briefcase when he went to and from the club.

"Good, you're all here," Kakuzu started. "I ran all the numbers and we need to make a considerable profit tonight to make up for all the repairs when the near-riot situation last week and the bar fight a few days ago."

"How much are we talking?" Itachi asked. "Because if I count cards too much, it could anger the guests if they figure out they're being played," he explained.

"Twenty to thirty percent more profits from blackjack tonight," Kakuzu said as he pointed to Itachi and he turned to Tobi. "Ten percent raise on the poured drinks, fifteen on the mixed," he said.

"Tobi thinks that's a bit much suddenly," Tobi said from his place behind the bar.

"Prices were cut last month for the promotional deal, it is time we raised them again anyway," Kakuzu said off-handedly. "If there are any problems, you'll have to take them up with Pain, but he's with Konan right now so I suggest you wait until they get down here."

"Guess it's time to open this place up and get to work," Kisame said and moved to the door to let Zetsu know to start letting people in.

"Good luck tonight," Kakuzu said as he left.

"Right," everyone nodded and went to their places.

"I'm gonna be out back in the warehouse for awhile until it's my shift on stage starts tonight," Deidara let them know before heading out. "Sasori's got the stage covered until then," he added while Sasori moved to sit at the piano and started looking through his sheets of music.

"Just a normal night," Sasori said with a bored sigh. "No inspiration…"

What they didn't know was that there were several pairs of watchful eyes targeting them that night. It would not be a normal night all. In fact, it might change their lives.

* * *

The night was cold and dark as a petite sniper waited patiently on the roof of an abandoned warehouse next to Club Akatsuki. The unique red stripe along the side of the gun was the mark of its owner.

"Come out already," she said while looking through the scope to keep a close eye on the back door of the club to the alley. "Sasori of the Red Sand… I have a bullet with your name on it, courtesy of an old friend of yours, Mister Orochimaru…"

From inside the club, the sound of someone playing the piano could be heard. The stage must be near the back part of the building. It was a calming tune, though it sounded complex. Whoever was playing was skilled.

Looking away from the gun's scope, she looked towards the front of the building. There was a line of people waiting to get inside the club. Seemed to be a popular place. Everyone was all dressed up in their fancy gowns and scarves or perfect suits and hats. There was obviously a lot of money among these folk. Raven glared bitterly at them before focusing on her scope again and remembering why she was here in the first place.

It all started yesterday at noon, when she left work.

She closed her long coat tightly around her waitress uniform as she left a breakfast diner. Long brunette hair was tied back messily and she was clearly tired. Her boots clacked against the sidewalk as she walked around the corner on her way home. She didn't get much further because she was stopped by a man with white hair in a low ponytail, round sunglasses, a long coat, and an obviously expensive fedora.

"Pardon me," she said politely and began to step around him.

However, he moved quickly to block her path, causing her to glare at him as she reached for the tiny gun in her coat pocket. "Please excuse by manners, Miss," he began in a very educated tone, though she continued to be on guard. "There is nothing to fear, I am here to offer you a job."

"Excuse me?" she raised an eyebrow.

"My name is Kabuto," he introduced as he stepped back to get out of any personal space. "I am representing Orochimaru, the owner of the Grand Sound Club uptown, he is quite wealthy and is willing to meet your price for a single commission," he explained.

"And how do you know I'm the one you're looking for?"

Kabuto smirked. "I am very good at what I do, Red Raven, please take my card and consider it," he said and presented her a card. "Please come to the location printed on the back of the card if you would like to learn more about this offer…"

Honestly, she didn't like a thing about this guy. She had half a mind to shoot him the in the chest right now, despite knowing how much trouble she could get into. Still, he didn't seem to be lying. Judging by his appearance, there was enough proof of wealth. Kabuto was perfectly groomed, his boots were perfectly shined and spotless, his gloves didn't have a single seam worn into them, and his hat was from the newest Yamato brand collections, one of the most expressive brands that could be found in this town.

She nodded and took the card. "Consider my presence guaranteed," she said and was quickly gone. Kabuto smiled and continued on his way.

Like she said, she saw him again that night at the Grand Sound Club. Kabuto had been waiting for her and immediately took her to his boss, whom she liked even less than Kabuto. Orochimaru's very aura stank of a poisonous power. There was something not right about him. He reminded her of a snake.

The office she stood in was even more proof of his wealth, though there were not any guards or windows. The only way out was the door behind her and it wasn't blocked if she chose to retreat now. Despite her instinct, she stayed to listen to this man's offer.

"I have heard many rumors about the Red Raven," Orochimaru began as leaned back in his chair behind the desk. Kabuto was standing perfectly beside him like the perfect underling that he was. "The cold and mysterious woman with a black heart stained red with the blood of revenge that always gets the job done… I have to say, you do not appear as how I imagined," he said.

He wasn't expecting her to look so ordinary. She was kind of short and sported a tiny feminine waist and delicate features. Her brunette hair was long that almost appeared to have a reddish tint. She had a small nose and thin pointed lips set into small frown that appeared to be permanent. Her eyes were a dramatic blue hue that would surely catch a man's attention if he cared to look that high. Certainly she didn't look like an expert sniper, but of course, maybe that's why she might be perfect for the job.

"I have a job I believe you are most suited for," Orochimaru began as he straightened up in his seat. "Eliminate Sasori of the Red Sand, he's a very skilled gun engineer over at Club Akatsuki."

The Red Raven didn't even bat an eyelash. "What does he look like?" she asked.

Kabuto stepped forward while pushing up his glasses. "I am very sorry to admit that we do not have any pictures of him, not that it would matter much because we have not seen him in years and he is a master of disguise as it is… unfortunately, the best information of him that we have is generic and outdated, this is one reason we sought you out, surely you can track him down."

The woman nodded and took a mental note to raise the price for this job if she was going to work extra like this. "I would need any information you can give me or otherwise the hunt is over before it can begin."

"I understand," Kabuto said.

Raven sighed and folded her arms under her chest. "What is this about anyway? Money? Territory? Did he steal something from you? Or perhaps reputation? Because my price is a bit high for petty squabbles," she explained. "I do not wish for you pay more than you have to for a single hit." The truth was that she hated her job and she hated killing people. If she was going to kill someone, she needed a lot out of it and there had better be a good reason it had to be done.

"Actually, it's revenge," Orochimaru said, knowing full well that he now had her full attention.

"I only take care of someone else's revenge grudge for the right price, a hefty one, and you already understand this?" she asked.

"Yes, you are just the person we need for the job," Orochimaru assured. "You should be able to understand my pain, and your record is flawless." He looked over at his assistant, "Kabuto, from your knowledge, what do you think will be a fair payment?" he smirked.

"How is one-hundred thousand dollars, Miss Raven?" Kabuto offered. She was a little surprised. These guys weren't kidding around. That was more than enough, though she wasn't going to make it easy for them since she didn't want to do this in the first place.

"Two-hundred," she countered, hoping that if she doubled it, they would forget trying to commission her. If they were crazy enough to accept, then she would finally have the funds to leave his wretched town.

"One-hundred-fifty thousand is as high as we can go," Kabuto said as he pushed up his glasses.

Raven thought for a moment. "Deal," she said and the two men smiled.

"Excellent," Orochimaru said. "Kabuto, please be sure she gets the first half right away."

"Of course, right away, Sir," Kabuto bowed slightly and then walked passed the Red Raven. "Please come with me Miss, the payment details will only take a few more minutes," he explained. She nodded and followed him.

To say that her roommate was surprised when she came into their tiny apartment with a bag of cash was an understatement. The woman's mouth dropped open when she saw it.

"Suki, I've gotta job tomorrow night," she explained.

"Where?" Suki wondered with obvious concern.

"Some guy at Club Akatsuki, shouldn't be too difficult," she shrugged.

"Club Akatsuki huh?" Suki smiled. "I've heard a lot about that place, lots of rich people on that side of town… maybe I should pay it a visit as well?"

"Another scam on a helpless romantic fool, Suki?" the brunette chuckled.

"Maybe," Suki giggled.

"With the way the last grease-ball got attached to you, don't forget to stay armed, I gave you that gun for a reason, this town isn't safe for young women like us," she reminded.

Suki pouted. "Hey, that guy seemed really nice and he was very handsome," she defended and then sighed dramatically. "I guess the good-looking ones always seem to be twits though…"

"What persona are you going to try?"

Suki smiled at her roommate. "The damsel in distress, maybe a prince will come to rescue me from this dreadful life," she giggled.

That night on the rooftop, the Red Raven wondered if her friend was already in line at Club Akatsuki. With the way that girl can act, she was probably near the front of the line holding onto some guy's arm. She had approved what Suki was wearing for the night when ask for her opinion, so she knew what she looked like. Tonight, Suki wore a pink strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and white ruffles sticking out the bottom and fanned around her legs at an angle. She also wore long white gloves. Most of her blond hair was down, while her bangs that covered her forehead and framed her face, and the locks above her ears were pulled back and tied in place with a pink ribbon. The make-up was heavy, but it would help hide her true face.

The Red Raven shook her head to focus again. She was tired though since it had been a long day and she really didn't want to be there. Despite knowing better, she got up to walk a little and stretch out her legs. Stakeouts were a bit rough on her tired body these days.

Then there was a weird rumble sound from beneath her feet right before the building shook slightly. "What in the world? An Earthquake?" The sniper questioned as she kept her balance until the brief episode was over.

She stood still for a minute waiting for another shockwave but felt none. Sighing, she turned back to previous stakeout spot but froze. Her gun was gone! Running over to where it had been, she looked over the side of the building and saw it laying on the ground in the alleyway right in front of a door. But that wasn't it. Next to the sniper rifle was her handgun, which she had set down in case she had to grab it quickly. Both her guns were down there and probably broken.

"Shoot!" she gritted and ran for it. She had to get them back before someone saw them.

However, by the time she got down there, she saw a man with longish blond hair and a yellow shirt take them inside the club. She tried to run after him, but the door was locked to the outside.

Those guns were really important to her, not only had they protected her numerous times, but they were how she made a living. She needed them to live out here.

"I can't believe this…" she muttered. "I have to get in there and get them back, even if I have to buy them back as a customer…" She couldn't believe this was happening. Of course this job, the job that was going to be her last and her ticket out of this town, would cause her troubles.

After getting back to the street, she found her roommate in the line of the club. Like she thought, Suki was on the arm of a handsome sucker that provided as her escort inside for the night.

"Hey," Raven said as she approached.

Suki was a bit confused when she the brunette. "H-hey! What brings you here?"

"Just thought I'd stop by and say hello," she said while making an L-shape with her hand. Suki knew it was to symbolize a gun and that Raven was working.

"Is something wrong?" Suki asked quietly and then said normally, "Would like to join us?"

"Sure, if that's okay with your friend?" she asked and looked at the man Suki was with.

He blushed as he realized he now had the opportunity to be seen with two women tonight. "Oh of course, in fact I insist you join us!" he said happily.

"Thank you for your generosity," the brunette said politely. "Just let me run home and change and I will be back before you know it!" She waved to them before hailing a taxi.

* * *

Inside Club Akatsuki, Sasori felt a chill crawl up his spine as he played a relaxing tune on the piano for the arriving guests. It was odd. Normally a chill would race up the spine quickly, but this as if someone slowly dragged their fingertips along the skin of his spine and up to his neck. Before he could ponder the cause of the strange feeling, he noticed Deidara waving his hand to get his attention from the door to the back room of the club.

Sasori nodded to Deidara signaling that he understood to meet him back there soon. With that Deidara nodded back and went inside to wait. It only took a couple minutes to finish the song, then he got up and left the stage. He looked up towards the balcony that overlooked the entire club and found Kisame giving him and questioning look. Sasori signaled his right index finger to which Kisame nodded and Sasori headed to the back.

He didn't see Deidara in the hall so he figured Deidara went downstairs to the basement where they worked on other things.

"That was quick," Deidara commented when Sasori arrived in the basement where there was a couple work stations and a shooting range.

"What is it, Deidara?" Sasori asked impatiently.

Deidara jerked his thumb to the other work station. "I found those by the back door in the alley, figured they were dropped off for you," he said.

Sasori saw that there were two gun sitting on his table. "I wasn't expecting any deliveries," he said and he approached them. Scanning them over, he studied them closely. "Where's the packaging, who sent these?"

"That's the weird thing, there wasn't any packing, they were just laying out there so I brought them in before anyone could snatch them," Deidara explained. "They couldn't have been there long since I didn't see them when I went through the alley to test that bomb in the warehouse like ten minutes before I found them."

"How odd," Sasori mused and lifted the longer gun. It was surprising light and seemed kind of short for a sniper rifle, but the scope and grips were exactly like some sniper rifles he had worked with in the past. "This gun has lost it's owner," he said.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Sasori set it back down and ran his fingers along the painted red stripe. "This gun has been altered several times, probably to be perfect for one person," he explained.

"Weird," Deidara shrugged. "You gonna take it apart then?"

"I'm not sure yet," he said. "It is a beautiful gun, it would be a shame to end such beauty," he said before his eyes landed on some kinks and scrapes. "At the very least I will repair it, even if it doesn't sell, it'll make for a perfect piece of wall art to withstand the test of time."

"Arg, you and your weird version of 'art'," Deidara groaned. "Art is fleeting, man!" The two proceeded to glare and argue for several minutes.

* * *

Upstairs, the club was already bustling with happy guests.

"Twenty-one, congratulations, you win this round," Itachi smiled as the guest that just won the round cheered. As he picked up the cards to perform an elaborate and showy shuffle, he felt the strangest feeling creep up his spine. It wasn't a chill as if he was being watched, but more like something was going to happen. He wasn't sure if he should assume it might be something bad. It was unlike those feelings.

As Itachi mindlessly shuffled the cards and let them glide through the air weightlessly from hand to hand, the guests watching clapped and cheered while a couple more guests joined in on the game.

At a table close to the bar, Hidan was sitting with the women that arrived with him. "You ladies are always welcome to come to the club with me," Hidan laughed as he entertained his guests over drinks.

There were some guests either sitting at or standing around the bar as Tobi juggled bottles as he made their drinks. Flipping bottles and glasses into the air and around him he mixed drinks proved to entertain the guests and bring in bigger tips.

"Konan, Tobi has another tray for you!" Tobi called to her so she picked up the tray to begin walking around the room and serving them. Her sultry gown proved to get the attention of the male guests.

Outside, Zetsu was letting some people in and while also turning away others if they looked like they didn't have money or if they might or have caused trouble. It wasn't long when a happy rich man got to the door with a lovely lady on each arm. It reminded Zetsu of Hidan this evening.

"You three may enter," he said.

"Thank you!" Suki winked at him as she, her friend, and the guy they were with stepped inside. "Wow, so pretty!" Suki gasped as she looked around. "Look, there's a card game, let's go watch!" she said cheerfully and pulled the man with her, he simply laughed and allowed himself to be led.

"I will get us drinks," the brunette woman said and approached the bar. It hadn't taken her long to change and get back to the club. She had made it just in time though, she only had to wait a few minutes before she was let in. Now she was wearing a long fitted dark red dress with a long slit up the leg and halter in a suit collar shape. Her hair was pinned up and she wore glasses and long gloves.

"What can Tobi do for you?" Tobi jumped over to her in an instant.

"Prompt, I see," she mused. "Two ginger ales and…" she paused and looked at the man she had come with trying to determine what he might like. Quickly deciding to take a shot in the dark, she figured that anything should be acceptable as long as it was masculine. "And a scotch on the rocks, please," she finished.

"Coming right up!" Tobi jumped back and threw two glasses into the air, grabbed the ginger ale, caught the glasses and filled them before putting them down, then put another glass down while replacing the ginger ale in his hand with scotch and adding ice and scotch to the glass.

"Fast and entertaining," she commented, "I see why everyone speaks so highly of you," she added though she had never heard of this guy.

"Yay! Tobi likes to hear it!" Tobi cheered before she paid and tipped before taking the glasses and finding her party. She paid with her own money and she wasn't going to start a tab anyway. Though she did think the prices were a little high.

Somehow, Suki already got the guy to start playing the card game as well when the other brought them their drinks. The brunette woman stuck around for a few minutes and noted how Suki would glance at the dealer frequently and her gaze sometimes lingered.

"I am going to take a look around," she made the same L-shaped hand gesture as before and walked away to begin her quest to locate her guns and her target.

"I'll be here!" Suki waved.

Over the next few minutes, Suki looked over to find her friend speaking to others. Not something her friend likes to do much, so Suki began to wonder what was wrong. Finally, after walking to a white-haired man at a table surrounded by women, the brunette was led to a doorway towards the back of the club. The white-haired man didn't follow, but simply gave her directions.

Suki turned back towards the game and found her new friend had won a round so she cheered for him. The evening continued like this, though she kept stealing glances at the handsome dealer. A few times, she found she was able to catch his eye too. Every time that happened, she would smile bashfully right before he redirected his attention to his job.

Just by watching him, she was able to figure out little things about him. He was smart and focused so he might not be easily fooled. Then there was the fact he was so attractive that nearly every other women that came near him tried to get his attention, though he easily brushed them off or ignored them completely. If she was going to target and peruse him, these bits of information Suki already gathered would help her in her goal to wrap him around her finger.

First of all, she was going to have to make sure _he_ pursues _her_, and not the other way around. She would have to let him analyze and judge her, so it would be his decision to follow her as he unknowingly walks into her hand. Planting these thoughts into his head would take some time and careful acting on her part, but as they say, slow and steady wins the race.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

Off to a slow start, but trust me, it gets more intense and interesting as it goes.

This time, unlike my other Akatsuki stories, the girls are no more righteous than the guys. Should be interesting. Maybe? You decide.


	2. An Alluring Sidelong Glance

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 2**

**An Alluring Sidelong Glance**

Itachi found himself catching the eye of a lovely young woman that night. He could see she was beautiful, there was no way his keen eyes could miss it. However, normally he wouldn't dwell on it. Normally he wouldn't desire to look twice, let alone again and again. Simple attraction was all it was to him, but it still bothered him a little.

He was surprised when she stayed behind when the man she was with lost his budget for the night and decided it was time to leave. She left the blackjack table for a short while to sit at the bar and sip her drink. Tobi seemed pleased to have her there, but even Tobi seemed to notice Itachi's frequent glances and seemed to have told the young women, because she turned and looked at him before looking away again bashfully.

There was something about her. Something that he couldn't shake. He had no idea what it was though. There wasn't much time to dwell on it, he had cards to count and a job to do.

"Twenty-three, house wins," Itachi said as the player groaned and picked up his stuff to call it quits since he lost too much money.

Itachi gathered up the cards and money, placing the chips and cash under the table. There was no one else at his table so he shuffled the cards normally until he heard a small feminine cough nearby. Looking over, he found the enticing vixen that had been on his mind all night.

"May I help you?" he said and began to shuffle the cards in a more showy way. Not for her, it was club policy to perform when there was a paying guest.

She played with a lock of her long sunny hair before nodding and taking a seat at his table. His eyes locked on her hands as she smoothed out her dress and pulled it up slightly since she would have to lean over. As soon as he noticed his eyes were technically on her chest, he snapped back up just before she met his eyes.

"What game is this?" she finally asked.

He was caught off guard there. She had been watching others play earlier, so why was she watching and even cheering if she had no idea what was going on? He knew she wasn't drunk. She hadn't had a sip of alcohol all night. With that thought, Itachi now realized that he had been watching her a lot and it unnerved him. No woman remained on his mind like this, so she must be doing something to get his attention. However, if that was the case, if she was doing something to attract male attention, Hidan would be flirting with her all night, which he hasn't yet.

"This would be Blackjack," he said and began to deal the cards. "Care to place a bet?"

"Hurm, I guess…" she started. "But how do I play?"

"The cards simply have to add up to twenty-one," he explained. "You can ask for more cards to get as close to that number as you can, however, if you go over, you lose, and if my cards are closer to twenty-one without going over, house wins and you lose."

"Interesting, sounds hard though," she said. "Do you like this game?"

Once again he was caught off guard. No one had ever asked him that before. Not his employer, or his friends, and not even his brother. "Excuse me?"

She looked up towards the ceiling as she thought about how to put it. Meeting his eyes again, she shrugged. "Well, you have to play it all night, right?"

"It is my job," he stated and she laughed, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Do you like your job then?" she giggled.

"I never really thought about whether or not I like it," he admitted and glanced away from her, but his eyes were quickly drawn back when she leaned over a tad and tilted her head to the side cutely.

"Think about it, okay?" she smiled.

Itachi sighed and grew serious, trying not to play into whatever game this woman must being playing. "I will, if you win," he said and motioned to the card in front of her.

She smiled mischievously at him. "Alright, you have got yourself a deal."

As she smiled and looked at the cards in front of her, a ten and a four so far, Itachi found himself watching her. His eyes scanned her face, hands, and body before they came back up and fixated on her lips. He found himself being entranced by them the more they conversed already, and now they only moved slightly as she thought about what to do with her cards. They were just so… pink. Like some sort of delicate fruit that called out for him to taste just once, but also promising a flavor and feeling that would leave him addicted in an instant. Lips like that must taste interesting. He was curious, but of course he would never experiment and try them. Women were a dangerous kind, especially if they lived in this town.

"Hit me," Suki finally said.

"Huh? Oh," Itachi gave her another card while mentally slapping himself. It had been some time since he had found himself attracted to someone, longer since his thoughts had wandered that far. He didn't like it. It was as if she had him under some sort of spell.

"So… these add up to twenty-one, does that mean I win?" she asked.

"What?" Itachi looked down at her cards, a ten, a four, and a seven. That was twenty-one. "Beginner's luck," he stated. "You win."

"Yay!" she cheered before calming down. "So what's your answer?" she asked.

"My answer?"

"Yes, and don't tell me you forgot about the bet you just made!" she pointed an accusing gloved finger at him.

Itachi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You honestly expect me to have an answer to something like that after only a minute, and besides, I said I would think about it if you won, not that I would tell you my answer," he said and she pouted.

"Fine, how about this," she started, "I will come back tomorrow night for your answer," she smiled.

He blinked at her and then smirked. "You will have to win the answer," he said.

"No problem!" she said and stood up.

She was about to leave when he stopped her by continuing. "But if I win…" he started and she looked at him. "You have to tell me your name," he said.

She opened her mouth to protest, but quickly shut it and laughed softly. "Very well, Gambler, tomorrow then," she said. As she turned to leave the club, her gown and hair flowed around her swiftly but gently. Just before she left she cast him an alluring sidelong glace and then she was gone. That look would remain on his mind for the rest of the night. It was as if she was daring him to follow her through dangers and passions. There was something beneath that gaze and he wanted to know what.

Suki smiled in spite of herself when she reached the sidewalk outside the club. It was chilly now and light breeze swept passed her. Turning to look at the club, she raise her gaze to the sign for a moment. She stepped to the edge of the sidewalk and watched for a taxi.

"Let the games begin, Itachi," she smirked. She knew his name already, but he knew nothing about her. It was perfect. Everything was working out perfectly. If only she met Itachi in another place at another time. She'd love to get to know him like a regular person. But alas, he was going to be the victim in her scheme while thinking he's her hero. "Just like tonight, I will win."

A taxi stopped for her and she got in before telling the driver where she wanted to be dropped off. As the car drove away, she looked at the Club Akatsuki sign again before sitting back in her seat and wondering how the Red Raven's job was fairing.

* * *

It was easier than she thought it would be to find where her guns would be. She approached a man with white hair since it appeared that part of his job was to keep the female guests of the club happy.

"I am a customer," the Red Raven had explained. He had looked her over once and nodded before letting her into the back room.

"Just talk to the guys down there about your order," he pointed to some stairs. "And when you're done, come back to the club, we love having young pretty guests to entertain," he added with a grin before going back.

She simply pushed up her glasses before descending the stairs and then stopped momentarily in front of the door at the bottom. There was a sign that read 'Members and Customers Only'. Noticing that the door was slightly ajar, she pushed it opened just as someone else was pulling it open from the other side.

"Oh, sorry," he said when he almost bumped into her as she stepped back. It was a blond-haired man with an eye-patch and hair covering his left eye. She thought he might have been the one that took her guns earlier when they landed in the alleyway. However, she wasn't completely sure about that yet. "Are you a customer?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," she nodded. "Was I correctly directed?" she asked.

He blinked at her, noting her formality. "Yeah, but if it's alright, he will show you what we have on hand tonight, I have a stage to get to," he said and after he directed her to a red-haired man standing at a table to the side of the room, he left and closed the door on his way out.

She took in the room quickly. It was well lit, and mostly resembled an indoor shooting range. There were a few tables on each side of the room with various stuff on or around them. Some guns were on the wall for display. Though she noticed all this, her eyes landed on her red-striped rifle instantly. She had to hold herself back to keep from stomping over to the man that was daring to touch it and hurting him before snatching back her belongings.

"It's not very often I get to detail a custom piece," Sasori said as he wiped it down. "This is truly a work of art."

When she remained silent, he eventually turned around about to say something else, but was startled instead. "Oh! Where's Deidara?" he asked as his gaze lingered on her instead of looking around for his companion. Being stunned from the sight, he felt a bit like a deer in the headlights of a car. He heard her come in when Deidara said something that he wasn't listening to, but wasn't expecting a young women to be standing there.

"I believe he just left to work upstairs," the woman answered. "I want to see your product," she added.

"Right," he said as he pulled his eyes away from her to slide out a case from under the table he was working at. When it was opened, he revealed several guns. "This is what I have on hand, see anything of interest?"

"Yes," she said with her eyes on her gun.

He saw that she was looking at the gun on the table instead. "That one isn't for sale, at least not yet," he said. "I suggest trying out this one," he picked one out and handed it to her. When she took it slowly, obviously not really interested, her fingers had grazed his hand and he felt a foreign jolt up his body and he quickly stepped away as she checked out the gun.

Sasori was confused. He felt weird all of sudden and thought maybe he was getting sick. His face felt warm and his legs were a little weak. Then there was the fact his brain was getting mushy and the part of this brain that was clear was focused on the women before him. Yes, he was sure he was becoming ill.

"I do not know much about this gun," she said, snapping him out of this thoughts.

He instantly went back into work-mode and gestured the shooting range. "You may try it out if you like," he offered and she nodded as she sauntered past him. When he caught her scent, time held still for him for a minute. The next thing he knew, the gun was being fired. Gunshots didn't really frighten him anymore, but he still jumped anyway this time.

It was fired only twice at a target when she scrutinized the gun in her hand. "I don't like it," she said simply.

"What might be the problem?" he asked.

"It's heavy and the kick is a bit much for any rapid shots, a double-tap would be slow or messy," she explained.

"I see, just not the right one for you then?" he said as he looked over the others in the case. "I do not see anything lighter in here, when do you need a weapon by?" he asked.

"…I suppose it doesn't really matter when I have it, just that I get it," she answered cryptically.

He looked over at the small handgun on the table and decided against his better judgment to show it to her. "This one is not ready to sell yet, but if you would like to try it out before I-" he didn't get to finish since she took the gun from him and replaced it with the one she had been holding.

Facing the target at the other end of the shooting range, she stared at the gun intently. The bullets for this gun were not average bullets and kind of expensive. She wasn't sure if she wanted to waste a single one on pretending like she wanted to buy it. The thought that she could kill this guy now and get on with tracking her target did cross her mind, however, killing this guy would put everyone on alert right away and they would be after her. It was too risky. Since she was here, she figured it was now a good time to find how she might find the man called Sasori. Any information she could pull out of this adorable fool would help.

Wait. Did she just think he was adorable? All such thoughts were banished from her mind long ago. She must be stressed.

"Would you like some help? It is an unusual gun," he said as he came up behind her. She gasped mutely when his arms came around her and he placed his hands over hers, guiding them to the correct placement and aiming at the target towards the back of the range. His breath swept over her bare shoulder softly as he looked over her to aim. "This gun seems like it is made for someone about your size," he said.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered. "I have never seen one like it before," she added more calmly as she turned her head to look at him above her shoulder. He hadn't moved away from there yet. Instead their eyes locked. "It feels… different," she spoke softly.

"Unlike anything I have ever felt before," he spoke just as softly as they just stared at each other. The tension was almost visible. There was something deep inside that was responding strongly to each other's presence.

Before anything else could be said, they heard someone cough on purpose, causing him to step away as they both turned to look at the blond man from earlier.

"Sorry to… interrupt," he started. "But it's your turn upstairs, my man," he said.

"Oh, right," he said and bowed slightly to his customer. "I am very sorry, but if you would like to purchase that gun, you will have to wait until I finish detailing it, come back soon and I will, I mean it will be waiting for you," he said and left before she could answer.

"Very well," she said and set the gun back down while the blond man smirked at them and then waited until she left as well.

The woman went outside empty handed and light-headed. She had no idea what just happened in there. There must be something in the air in that basement. That was the only logical explanation. Despite whatever just happened, she knew that she could get her gun back without any problems soon as long as she returned when the red-head was finished working on it. Maybe this would work in her favor. If he did a good job cleaning it up and maybe even make it better, then she will have got an even better gun out of this mishap.

Getting in a taxi, she went home to rest and clear her head. She still had another job she had to do in the morning after all.

* * *

The rest of the night was business as usual in the club. Music was played, people were entertained, and games were enjoyed. They drank, smoked, and laughed. Nobody got into fights or even argued much. No one had to be escorted out after drinking too much either. It was a good night for the club.

When they were closing up towards the early morning hours of the night, Deidara approached Sasori with a cocky grin. Sasori had been wiping down the piano when Deidara decided to bother him.

Sasori had noticed Deidara hovering nearby and he grew impatient when the blond remained silent. "What?" Sasori asked irritably, not liking the look he was being given.

"So what the heck did I walk in on downstairs earlier?"

"What do you mean?" Sasori asked. He knew that Deidara was referring to the woman in the red dress, he hadn't stopped thinking about her for a full minute all night. However, he wasn't sure what Deidara was getting at.

"You two looked like you could light a fire under water! I have never seen people that hot, let alone you hot at all for anybody!" Deidara grinned and lit a lighter for effect before pulling out a cigarette to light it.

"Excuse me?" Sasori was shocked, he had no idea what to think of this accusation. "I was not 'hot' for her, what does that even mean?"

Deidara laughed as he put his lighter in his pocket. "Oh man, you really are clueless!" He laughed some more. "Guess that's what happens to guys like you, my man."

Sasori growled. "Are you going to explain or not?"

"Attraction, my man, you were attracted to her," he explained and took a drag of his cigarette and slowly released the smoke. "Seriously, if people could eat each other…" he shook his head and chuckled. "It was awkward and hilarious at the same time to walk in on."

Sasori glared and threw the polishing rag into Deidara's face. "You're full of it," he said. "I wasn't attracted to anyone."

"Aw come on, don't be like that, my man," Deidara whined. "It's not a bad thing, and I'm only teasing, what you do with that women on your own time is none of my business," he put up his hands defensively.

"Tobi wants to know more!" Tobi called as he hopped up onto the stage. Sasori turned around to find most of the club's members watching them while also listening.

"What?" Sasori questioned when everyone was smirking at him.

"So the prude's got a fancy, eh?" Hidan grinned.

"No, and I'm not a prude," Sasori tried, but no one was listening.

"Yay! Everyone's getting married!" Tobi cheered.

"What?" Everyone questioned hysterically.

"What in the world are you talking about, Tobi?" Deidara asked calmly as he sat down on the edge of the stage.

"Pain and Konan, Itachi and the lady in pink, and now Sasori and the gun lady!" Tobi cheered.

"Wha…" everyone trailed off as they looked around. Then their gazes settled on the their leader and Konan.

"Tobi, I should kill you for that," Pain stated simply, bringing his hand to his forehead as he sighed.

"How did you know?" Konan asked.

"Tobi saw you," he nodded. "Konan takes her ring off everyday, but Tobi's seen it," he added.

Pain sighed. "Guess the secret's out." He began to leave and head upstairs with Konan when he stopped and looked back at his employees. "There are not yet any dates sets, so don't get too excited," he said and took his leave.

The rest were left standing kind of awkwardly until Deidara got up to get an ashtray and sit at the bar until he was done with his cigarette. Zetsu and Sasori joined him for a smoke break since work was over. Kisame and Itachi sat at the closest table to the bar for a beer to chat a bit about work before it was time to head home. Tobi danced back to his place behind the bar and sang poorly about how love was in the air as he wiped down the bar and cleaned the glasses.

"Don't mind Tobi," Kisame said to Itachi. "He makes a lot of assumptions."

"I know, but why did he have to say I was going to marry that woman?" Itachi sighed while rotating his bottle of cheap beer to mindlessly stare at the label. "I don't even know her name."

"Because!" Tobi popped up between Itachi and Kisame. "Itachi is going to fall for her…" Tobi smiled as Itachi simply looked expressionless, then pushed Tobi away. Tobi simply laughed and grabbed his hat and coat. "Time for Tobi to go home! See you tomorrow," he said as he ran off.

"That guy…" Itachi shook his head in dismay.

"Though he did have a point about you and that woman from earlier tonight," Kisame said.

"How could you say that?" Itachi defended.

"Come on, I saw how you looked at her," Kisame pointed up to the balcony where he usually kept watch on the club, and thus the place where he would be able to see all the events unfold.

"You know what? I think everyone is just making up a lot of stuff tonight, there must be something in the air, so I'm going home too," he said and picked up his things to leave as well.

Itachi decided to walk home that night instead of taking his car. The car would be alright where it was parked. He needed the air and time to think. Until Kisame brought it up, Itachi didn't realize that his encounter with that women tonight had been so attention grabbing. Hidan would crack jokes about every girl that might flirt with him, so any comments from Hidan rolled off his back without a second thought. Tobi gets excited about everything so Itachi could brush that off somewhat easily. But for Kisame to bring it up as well? There must have been something that even Itachi's sharp eyes missed in that encounter. Really, he couldn't have been staring that much. It's not like he's interested in romance. He had been down that road before. Even if he was more open to relationships, he was far too busy for one and his lifestyle wasn't the most welcoming for a woman. There was the club, his job, he was taking care of his brother, other side jobs through the club, and more enemies than he knew what to do with. If he was sane, he would continue to ignore any woman's advances like he has for years now.

Itachi snuck into his apartment like he did every morning to keep from waking up his brother who would be getting up in a few hours to get ready for school. The dishes from dinner were still laying about in the kitchen. Itachi ignored them though, he'd take care of it later. For now, he just wanted to sit down and rest his eyes.

After throwing his coat and hat over the back of a chair and taking off his shoes, he plopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh. It had been a long night and he had a lot on his mind. That women kept appearing in his thoughts. Maybe he was going crazy. Wouldn't be the first time, so who was he to claim he had any sanity at all to begin with?

Resting his eyes as he lounged on the couch for a bit, he remembered when he was younger and living with his parents. Things were never simple for him, not even then. There was so much expected of him and he had many secrets.

"Itachi," his father's commanding voice echoed in his mind. "You are to succeed me, start acting like it and take responsibility for your actions." He had said that more than once. Sometimes just as a reminder, and other times because he wasn't pleased with something Itachi had done, or didn't do. "A genius like you should be focusing on more important things." Apparently friends were a luxury he wasn't supposed to have. "How dare you undermine me and embarrass our family?" Itachi skipped a meeting with his father and his coworkers in favor of going to a school event. Itachi remembered those times with clarity before another memory came into focus.

That time, his mother was crying and unable to speak. A gun laid on the ground near the lifeless body of his father. Itachi was looking at his trembling hands and Sasuke's innocent eyes stared at him. He had brought shame to him and the family when he committed that crime. So many emotions had run rampant that day. Words that could never be taken back had been spoken. There was no way he could ever repent and mend what had been broken. Ashamed and disowned, his bags were already packed for him when he was forced to leave home forever.

"I am leaving Konoha, Hana," Itachi explained to a beautiful girl his age. She had been his girlfriend. After he left home, she was the first person he went to see. "They have disowned me."

"You're not expecting me to go with you, are you?" she questioned, obviously already rejecting the idea entirely.

"Well, I… it had crossed my mind," he began. "Since you are my girlfriend, you should know what happened."

"How could you do this? I'm not even sure I know who you are anymore," she said.

"I have not changed, I can assure you that."

Hana folded her arms over her chest and turned away from him. "You should probably leave, you have no reason to be here anymore," she said and then dropped her arms as she looked at him sympathetically. "I still have a future here, Itachi, even if it's not with you."

Itachi was surprised, he wasn't expecting it to happen like this at all. "I see, does this mean we are over? That my family was the reason you liked me?"

"Just go, Itachi, we are over, I'm sorry," she said and closed the door on him.

He had gritted his teeth and glared at the door. She hadn't even given him the chance to apologize for putting her through this. What was done was done, and he had nothing. Not his father, mother, cousins, friends, or even his girlfriend, the person that had sworn she would be happy everyday as long as she was with him.

"Itachi," Sasuke's voice called after him when Itachi was about to get into his car. Itachi was surprised to see his younger brother running after him with his own suit cases and a backpack. "Take me with you!" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I-"

"Don't! Don't say it," Sasuke had cut him off, showing more fire and determination than Itachi had ever seen in anybody. "It has already been decided, I'm going with you," he said. "If you don't take me with you, I'll just follow you! You can run, but I will still follow."

"Why, Sasuke? Why would you want to come with me?" Itachi asked. "Don't you hate me?"

"I hate… I hate the situation," Sasuke said. "I saw everything that happened, Father was going to… but then you… it's just not fair!" he had lashed out. "I'm not going to stay with them, I don't care if they're family. They abandoned you, wouldn't even listen to your side, so I'm abandoning them!"

"Sasuke…" Itachi knew he didn't have much choice. His brother was even more stubborn than him.

"Itachi," Sasuke's voice echoed in his memory. "Itachi," he said again, this time sounding more like he did now as a teenager. That was when Itachi realized he had fallen asleep on the couch and it was now morning. The apartment was facing the morning sun and thus was well lit even with the curtains drawn.

Itachi opened his eyes and found Sasuke standing by the couch. "What is it, Sasuke?" he asked as he rubbed his forehead. He was very groggy.

"I'm going to school soon, thought you'd be more comfortable if you went to bed now," he said.

"What?" Itachi sat up. "What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty, so I have to leave now," he said.

"Don't you want breakfast?"

"I'm fine, I had some toast and already cleaned up the kitchen," Sasuke said as Itachi looked over the now spotless kitchen. "You didn't even budge, so I wanted to make sure you were okay," he added.

"Oh, sorry, Sasuke," Itachi scratched the back of his head.

"It's fine," Sasuke shrugged. "Just get some sleep, in your bed this time or you'll kill your back again," he added with an air of humor.

"Yeah, yeah," Itachi rolled his eyes. "See you later," he said and Sasuke waved as he grabbed his book bag and headed out.

Once the door was shut, Itachi looked around the kitchen. The dishes were done and put away while the counters, sink, and stove were wiped down. It would be a shame to make even a small mess now so Itachi decided to skip making himself breakfast like he normally would and go out to the diner down the street for breakfast instead.

"A new day," Itachi said to himself and then sniffed his shirt. "First a shower, then I'll go out," he nodded and made his way towards the back of the apartment.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

Interesting? Stupid? Funny? Like how I bent Itachi's back story? ******  
**

EDIT 6/29/13: I removed a line that stated the obvious.


	3. The Masks They Wear

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 3**

**The Masks They Wear**

Several members had already left the club for the night, leaving the ones that lived there. Sasori, Deidara, and Zetsu lived in the apartments above the club. They sat in silence as they smoked. Before long, Zetsu put out his cigarette and went upstairs to call it a night.

"Well," Deidara started as he smothered his cigarette in the ashtray, "I'm gonna call it a night, see you tomorrow, my man," Deidara said and headed upstairs.

"Yeah, later," Sasori nodded. Only a couple lights were still on in the club, so it was practically dark. Only a dull illumination softly blanketed the bar where he sat. Sometimes it was nice to sit alone in the dark, alone with whatever thoughts that come to mind, and a barely touched cigarette resting between his fingers above an ashtray.

His thoughts had a very narrow range that night. The unique guns that came to him, and the mysterious women that also came to him. Normally he would at think about art, music, food, philosophy, or whatever he read in the paper that day. However, such thoughts didn't come to him at all tonight and it made him irritable that such a brief encounter with a single woman and a couple immature comments from his friends could plague his mind.

Sasori wasn't sure if his friends knew that he wasn't really interested in having romantic relations. Not that he ever had any before, so he can't say there's a particular reason for his disinterest. Granted, this was the first time in his life where he had the opportunity to experience romance if he chose to. His life before the Akatsuki was rather, _confined_, to say the least. He preferred not to think about it.

Sasori took one last drag from his cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray and grabbing his fedora. Out of no particular concern, he checked all the doors to make sure they were locked and that the security barricade was secure. Shutting off the last lights, he headed upstairs. His apartment was fairly high up, being above Deidara's, but below Zetsu's. Pain lived in the top apartment. Despite his long smoking history, he was able to climb all the stairs with ease, even when he was tried after his long day.

After dressing for bed, Sasori laid there with his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. He still wasn't used to not having total darkness to sleep in at night. There were city lights outside and in a few hours the sun would be rising and he knew that he should at least get some sleep before then.

He was bordering sleep as his mind drifted. It didn't surprise him when he thought of that woman from earlier again. He'd been thinking about her all night. It made him consider that maybe Deidara was right, maybe he _was_ attracted to her. Not like he knew what being attracted to someone felt like, so he supposed it was possible and it was bound to happen eventually, even to him. He decided he didn't like the feeling. It pledged his mind too much. He had already thought of this woman more than he ever thought of the only woman he had taken to his bed. Even that had been a one night experience, not even that really, and he didn't think about it as much as the woman in the red dress. Sure, that other time he had paid her for a certain service she had been offering, like several women in this wretched town find themselves doing at some point, and the experience had been a disappointment so he never sought her out again. Back then he thought she was beautiful, or at least what he thought should be considered attractive, even though he didn't really have much of his own opinion in the matter. Still, he tried it, and that was the end of that story.

That woman in the red dress though, she made him forget about the entire world as if it had just melted away from his consciousness when they touched slightly and locked eyes. He remembered how her eyes were strikingly blue behind her glasses and she smelled like sugar, almost like the sweet syrup that is commonly found on pancakes.

Mmm, pancakes. That sounded appetizing.

He decided that he was going to go to the diner that was up the street and over a few blocks. It had been some time since he had last gone out for breakfast, since he didn't eat breakfast often and he normally didn't have the extra money to eat out, but he'd make an exception this time.

Within seconds, his thoughts landed back on the woman in the red dress. What was he supposed to do, if anything, if he was attracted to her? Should be pursue her or just ignore the sensations he felt around her and go on business as usual until she's gone forever? He wanted advice, but he didn't know who he could ask. His friends were rather stupid, especially in the woman department. The only ones he knew had experience in this sort of thing were Pain and Hidan. Sasori wouldn't dare ask Pain, his boss, for woman advice. He considered asking Hidan, but he could already hear Hidan's would-be response and it wasn't gentlemanly at all, considering Hidan's tendency to womanize. Sasori supposed he was on his own in this matter, that is, if he bothered to consider it further. There was no guarantee that he would see her again, like if she found a gun elsewhere, so worrying about it would have been for nothing.

Morning came too soon for the red-head. He felt like he hadn't slept at all, but the banging at his door wouldn't let him sleep anyway. Irritably, Sasori threw the sheets off of him and got up to answer the door.

"What?" he grumbled as he glared as Deidara.

"Don't gripe at me, my man," Deidara sighed. "But now you're up so I'm off, gotta go get some supplies, you know," he said and began to leave.

Sasori wordlessly closed his door and stepped back into his apartment. After washing and dressing, he sat on the windowsill and lit a cigarette while blowing the smoke out the window. He didn't want his apartment to smell like smoke, so if he wasn't at the bar or in the alley, he would smoke out the window. He simply sat there as he watched as people headed to work and school in the morning. It didn't take long before he saw Deidara join the pedestrians and disappear around the corner.

He wondered if he ever saw the woman in the red dress in a crowd or walking by from this spot. If they had ever been in the same place at the same time, but never met. He knew he was thinking nonsense now. Things like that only happen in stories and fantasies, not real life, and not in a life like his where every trip outside was at his own risk. He was always too busy scanning the crowds for faces from his past out to get him to be concerned with anyone else that might hold his interest if given the chance.

Walking back through his apartment, he smothered his cigarette in the ashtray on the table before grabbing his coat and hat. He patted his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and keys before leaving. Before stepping out of the alley, he put on his sunglasses and pulled up his collar to hide his face. He wasn't going to bother with a more complex disguise this early in the morning. Most of the gangsters and snipers out there to get him were either asleep or hungover at this time. It made for a small window of low-risk opportunity to leave the club.

As he made his way towards his destination, a diner that was about a twelve minute walk away, he passed a group of young school children hurrying to school. He didn't give them a second glace, but did feel a bit of envy as a happy memory of his parents seeing him off to school when he was little flashed through his head. It was a single memory, because there were no more memories of his parents after that. To be young, free, and careless was a beautiful thing that he believed should last forever like true art, but alas it was a fleeting thing in life.

In no time he was able to see the diner up the street and as he got closer, so did a familiar face from the other direction.

"Itachi," Sasori greeted by the door.

Itachi paused and scanned what he could of Sasori's face, confirming it was him. "Same idea huh?" he asked casually.

"Seems so," Sasori nodded.

They stood there silently before they wordlessly went inside together. The color scheme of the diner was just awful. Faded light pink table tops and counters with faded green and grayish flooring. Everything was faded and old, but still clean and organized. The decorations on the walls were the only interesting thing to look at, being album covers, both recent and old.

The two of them shared a table near the corner and then they waited until a waitress would come to take their orders. Sasori noticed Itachi had already taken out a cigarette and was lighting it.

"Thought you were cutting back?" Sasori commented.

"I am," Itachi grunted. "Haven't had a smoke since before my shift last night," he added. "So cut me some slack." As a personal rule, Itachi didn't smoke much at home, and never smoked around Sasuke. He wouldn't call himself a heavy smoker because of that rule, but he still smoked more than he'd like since he started having other health problems where smoking wasn't really helping his case.

"Got a lot on your mind?" Sasori asked.

"Yes," Itachi said as he watched Sasori light his own cigarette.

"Me too, doesn't feel like I slept at all this morning," he commented nonchalantly. "Been a while since I last came here, you come here often?"

"Haven't been here for a couple years actually," Itachi said and looked around. "Still looks exactly the same though."

"Where's all the waitresses?" Sasori realized they hadn't seen uniforms since they stepped in. He didn't like waiting.

"Probably in the back at the same time," Itachi responded as he looked around also. There were only a handful of other people in the diner. The smell of fried eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, waffles, and pancakes had his appetite in full gear so he'd like to get his order in as soon as possible.

Sasori grabbed an ashtray from a nearby unoccupied table and put it on their table so they could flick off some of the excess ash. Then he looked at the menu that was kept on a little stand behind the napkins. His cigarette rested between his fingers as he read over the familiar items. There were a handful of different find of pancakes, including buttermilk, blueberry, and chocolate chip, but he already knew what kind he was going to get.

"Why would a woman smell like syrup?" Sasori asked abruptly.

"Is that some kind of riddle?" Itachi wondered. It was a strange question, but it wasn't the anywhere near the strangest things he's heard.

"No, just wondering."

Itachi took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled before answering. "Maybe she's got kids," he said.

Sasori's heart sank as he realized that was a possibility. "Do you know if there is a soap or something that is syrup scented?"

"With some of the kinky stuff out there, probably, but you'd have to ask Hidan about that one," Itachi shrugged, making Sasori sigh in disappointment.

* * *

Meanwhile, there was a waitress hiding in the kitchen while peeking out the small window into the diner. "What's up?" Another waitress asked from behind her.

They were wearing ridiculous matching uniforms. The whole look was a weird Lolita-waitress look with the most dreadful color combination. Their long hair had to be up in pigtails and tied with bows. They each wore a short button down dress of an almost-pastel orange with bright yellow stripes along the edges of the short sleeves and bottom of the skirt. There were also neon yellow reflective stripes over the shoulders and down the sleeves. The sleeves and skirts had white ruffles along the edges, and the aprons over the skirts were also white, but were tied around the waist in a large, dramatic bow. Along with orange high-heels, they had to wear white over-the-knee socks with ruffles.

The first waitress had sunny blonde hair, and she turned around to look at the one that spoke, a brunette woman who was waiting to get through the door with a couple breakfast plates. "The guy I was working last night is here of all places," the blonde said.

"I see, I can take care of that table then," the brunette waitress said. "But first I have to take these in," she said and the blonde waitress quickly got out of the way. "But this isn't an excuse for you to not work," she reminded and the blonde nodded.

When the plates were served, she approached the other table of two men that hadn't been served yet. She could tell how long they had been waiting from the length of their cigarettes, assuming they were lit when they came in. There was no mistake that one of the men was the one that her companion was hanging around the night before. He was dressed fairly formally again, but kept his fedora on. She couldn't see the other man very well. He was facing the other direction and was wearing his fedora, sunglasses, and a high popped up collar on his coat.

"Welcome to Cid's Diner, what can I get for you?" she greeted with an overly perky voice.

"Can I get today's special?" the man with dark hair spoke first, barely glancing at her.

"Of course," she responded too happily as she tilted her head to the side cutely. Even though the men weren't looking at her, the boss might get mad if she didn't act her part. The boss thought over the top was best. "How would you like your eggs today?" she asked.

"Over easy," he said simply and then placed his cigarette between his lips casually.

"Coming right up! About how about you, sir?" she asked the other man.

"I would like pancakes," he answered without looking up.

"Alright, would you like to have Cid's Everyday Special? That includes a stack of our home-style pancakes with butter and syrup, as well as a strip of bacon and apple slices on the side," she said with a perfectly rehearsed proficiency, however the perkiness of her voice began to slip away by the end, hinting to its falseness.

"Sure," he said as he glanced at her briefly.

"And would either of you like a beverage?"

"Coffee," they both said at the same time.

"Alright, your orders will be out shortly," she said and stepped away with an unusual silence despite her healed shoes. Both men noted this and watched her walk away for a second.

"Interesting," Itachi said with this cigarette still between his lips. "Must work elsewhere too," he noted.

"You think so?" Sasori said.

"Well, besides striping or prostitution, women have a hard time getting decent work in this town," he explained. "Might be a pickpocket, a spy for a gang, or something else entirely with that kind of silence."

"I see you've done your research about the circumstances of this town," Sasori noted.

"I've been around here long enough to have picked up a few things," he said.

The waitress returned just as silently with their coffee, also setting down creamer if they chose to use it. "Enjoy, the rest will be out soon," she said and left.

This time Sasori actually looked at her for a full second before taking one of the mugs to bring it closer. Then he paused. "Wait a second…" he muttered and looked for the waitress again, but she must have gone into the kitchen. "That was odd."

"What?" Itachi said as he added a little cream to his coffee.

"…Nothing," Sasori lifted his hat slightly to rub his forehead. Then he took one last long drag from his cigarette before crushing it against the ashtray. "Just thought that waitress looked familiar."

Itachi shrugged. "Maybe she worked here the last time you were here," he suggested and then finished off his cigarette before sipping his coffee. It was still pretty hot so he set it back down and noticed Sasori had a thoughtful look.

"Could be…"

Itachi fidgeted in his seat repeatedly as they waited. He'd pick up his coffee, set it down, and then pick it back up again to finally take a drink.

"Something wrong?" Sasori questioned as he looked at his own coffee. It tasted normal to him.

"I feel like I'm being watched, however not maliciously," he explained.

"…What?"

"Well there's a difference when someone is just looking at you and watching you, you know?"

Sasori nodded seriously. "Yeah, so what?

"Never mind, I could just be paranoid, I didn't sleep much this morning," he explained.

"Alright, as long as you're sure it's nothing to be worried about," Sasori said as he peaked over his shoulder and over his sunglasses. He looked back just in time because the waitress was returning with their breakfast. Sasori took the opportunity to get a better look at her, even stare.

She had a peppy smile despite a cold aura as she presented them with their plates and topped off their coffee.

"Will that be everything?" she asked and they each nodded. "Would you like separate checks?" she asked and they nodded again so she left their checks on the table. "Enjoy, and let me know if there is anything else I can do for you," she finished before she moved to another table to offer more coffee.

Itachi started on his breakfast and looked at Sasori, who was still staring at the waitress. "See something you like?"

"What?" Sasori said as he looked back.

"You were staring at the waitress pretty intensely, something must be afoot."

"Not really, just trying to figure out where I've met her before or who she reminds me of. Her name tag said Risa, but I've never met someone by that name before," he lied while wondering if the waitress was really the woman in the red dress from the night before. She looked so different, but similar. He wasn't about to approach her in the diner. It was better if he remained silent, especially since he was out in public while trying to keep a low profile.

"Might think of it later, since she hasn't said anything to you, you might not know her at all," Itachi suggested.

"That is possible," Sasori sighed and they both returned to their breakfast silently.

After a few minutes, Sasori noticed Itachi staring at another waitress that was standing behind the counter while pouring coffee for an old man and listening to what he had to say with a smile. Itachi seemed pretty fixated and Sasori wondered if that was how he looked himself when trying to figure out where he saw the waitress that served them was from.

"You know her?" Sasori asked, causing Itachi to jump so slightly that Sasori barely noticed it.

"I don't think so," Itachi said slowly. "This diner must purposefully hire girls with common looks or something of the sort."

Sasori chuckled slightly. "That would be interesting."

Itachi noticed that Sasori just finished off his coffee. "You heading back soon?" he asked when Sasori pulled out his wallet.

"Yeah, I can only be out in public for so long," he nodded and left some money on the table. "How about you?"

Itachi looked into his coffee cup before answering, "I'm going to have another cup of coffee before heading out."

Sasori pushed up his sunglasses. "See you tonight then," he tipped his hat and made his way out of the diner.

Itachi nodded in kind and watched as Sasori left. Itachi paid for his own breakfast and noticed that Sasori left behind a pretty large tip without getting any change back. Shrugging, he threw down some money before finishing off his coffee. Looking back at the counter where only a couple of other people sat, he debated what he wanted to do.

Finally, he took his cup with him and sat at the counter. His keen eyes noticed how the waitress hesitated and looked around before approaching him. There was no other waitress in sight so she put on a smile and reached for the coffee pot to bring to him.

"Would you like more coffee, Sir?" she asked politely.

"Yes," Itachi nodded. "Please." As she poured, he got a good look at her nametag. "So… Yukiko," he started and she looked him. "How long have you been working here?" he asked causally.

After filling the mug, she lifted the coffee pot away and looked at him. "Oh I've been here for a couple years now, haven't seen you around though, do you come here often?"

Itachi shook his head. "Been a while since I was last here."

"Is this your day off? Most guys are at work by now," she asked casually.

"I work at night," he said simply and looked at his coffee. It needed sugar or cream.

"Yeah? What do you do if you don't mind me asking?"

Itachi was getting a little tired of this game she was playing. He was sure it was her now, and she has to remember him. "I work in a club… but you should know that, right? You were there last night," he said seriously and noticed her hold her breath. "Don't deny it, you and I made a bet."

After a short silence, she let out her breath in a short sigh. "Alright, you caught me, did you follow me? Are you a stalker?"

Itachi chuckled. "Not at all, I was just surprised to see you so soon, I wasn't expecting to see you again until tonight," he said. "I must say that I find you intriguing, why do you work here? Surely you don't need the money," he assumed. The dress she was wearing the night before was obviously well made and from a high class retailer, possibly custom made, so not the kind of thing that a simple waitress could afford so easily.

"If you want to know that, you'll just have to get to know me by continuing our game," she winked.

Itachi smirked. "I can live with that," he said. "But I would like to know, what's your shift like here? You were at the club late last night, aren't you tired?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions," she sighed. "But I'll humor you on that one. I work from five in the morning to one in the afternoon on a normal day, so yes, I slept shortly last night and came straight to work," she explained.

"You seem like a dedicated woman," he commented.

She smiled kind of mischievously. "You think so?" she said cutely. "Now if you excuse me, I have to get back to work," she said.

She picked up some dishes from the counter and took them into the kitchen. There she found 'Risa', the brunette waitress.

"Raven!" she cried and ran towards her.

"What's wrong?" the brunette asked as she closed up a freezer.

"I had to talk to him…" she pouted.

"What? Why?" Raven asked. "Suki, what did you do?"

"Nothing! I was working the counter when his friend left and he came over and started talking to me," Suki explained.

"Well as long as he doesn't start to stalk you," Raven sighed. "I don't want to have to shoot him like with that guy that snuck into our apartment."

Suki sweated a little at the memory, "I'm still very sorry about that by the way…"

"Nearly gave me a heart attack…" Raven sighed. "At least we don't have to worry about that guy anymore, but from that experience, remember to always play it cool and remain calm no matter what," she reminded.

"Right!" Suki saluted.

"Now I just can't wait until the shift is over, I'm exhausted," Raven complained.

"Me too," Suki sighed. "These heels are killing my feet, whoever thought that waitresses should wear heels is stupid…"

"We must grin and bare it… can't wait until I can leave this town and live someplace quiet."

"I just want to follow my dreams, but as they say, you need money to make money," Suki said. "Or enough to live and get the stuff I need to get my dreams started would be nice too."

"Our times will come soon enough," Raven said. "We should get back to work," she added.

What the waitresses didn't know was that there were multiple pairs of eyes watching the diner after that. Some eyes were curious, others were cold and calculating. They were about to meet more than their fair share of danger soon.

Paths have crossed. Everyone would be on their own to make the choices they were about to face. All they had was their own interests in mind. One can plan and know what they are going to do in a situation, but they will never know what will actually happen until they have to confront it for real.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

Pancakes.

Clarification, since my beta reader asked this too. Yes, Sasori slept with a prostitute once and has never been in a relationship. The experience was disappointing because he wasn't allowed to do anything, she probably just did him, took the money, and left. This story is close to his canon age of about 30, but looks younger, so he was probably 19-21 when he paid for it (and joined the Akatsuki). _It's been a long time for him_. **  
**


	4. Blackjack 21

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 4**

**Blackjack 21**

Afternoon quickly approached and Sasuke came home from school to find his brother at the table working with his cards. At first glance he wasn't sure whether he was practicing counting the cards or doing tricks with them.

"Didn't you sleep?" Sasuke started without greeting.

"Shouldn't you be with friends?" Itachi retorted.

"You know that the time I have to spend with them in school is already too much," Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat at the table.

Itachi silently held up a card and stared at it. Sasuke couldn't see what card it was from the back, but he could guess. It was probably the card that Itachi always stared at when he was thinking about the past and the future.

"Did something happen today?" Sasuke prodded gently. Like himself, his brother wasn't keen on sharing problems with others.

Itachi continued to stare at the card. "I met someone, or more like… ran into them again after meeting them last night."

"A woman?" Sasuke guess and his brother's silence accompanied by a slight nod was his only confirmation. "You want to ask her out?"

"…Maybe," Itachi answered, much to Sasuke's surprise. "I wish Shisui was here, he'd know how to proceed."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke leaned forward in his chair. He hadn't seen Itachi this hung up in a long time. It was actually a bit frightening. Itachi always knew what to do, even when it involved women.

"In blackjack, there are four sets of cards of the same value," Itachi turned the card about to reveal the King of Spades. "Ten, Jack, Queen, and King," he continued. "What exactly makes the King so important, so worthy of the that title, when it has the same value as so many others?"

"A king is just like any other person without the crown and scepter," Sasuke mused.

"Exactly, without the crown, how is everyone supposed to know they have to adhere to him?"

"What are you getting at, what does this have to do with the girl?" Sasuke questioned.

"What if, the King was just Jack with the King's crown?" Itachi shifted his fingers slightly, revealing the Jack of Spades from behind the King of Spades. "Pretending to be the King?"

"So you think she's not who she says she is?" Sasuke concluded.

"There's only one way to find out," Itachi nodded.

"How are you going to do that? This doesn't sound like it'll work out too well," Sasuke sighed.

"I'll just be Jack with the King's crown," Itachi smirked.

"Been a while since you've had anything interesting like this going on," Sasuke mused. "You seem like you might enjoy playing this game," he raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe I will," Itachi chuckled. "Maybe I will."

* * *

Itachi entered Club Akatsuki later that night when it opened. He was greeted by Pain and Konan, and was instructed to take it easy tonight on the Blackjack table and average profits should keep the guests coming back. Then the couple went to lounge area, where many comfortable seats were on display and drinks were served by Konan in her glamorous cocktail dresses. If desired, a guest would ask her to bring them an ashtray or sit with them in an attempt to flirt with her. It was usually harmless enough, but Pain would step in and tell Konan to go do something else as soon as she gave him the signal.

Mindlessly shuffling his cards, Itachi scanned the club for the woman he wanted to see. She hadn't arrived yet. It was still early and there was still plenty of time. For all he knew, she could be in line outside at this very moment.

Just when Itachi was about to leave his table and look for her, an already tipsy couple came up to play some blackjack. He tried to make it fair, but in his defense, this particular pair was completely mindless. The man was obviously more drunk than the woman, and neither one seemed to know how to play the game.

"Hit me!" the man cheered.

"Yeah! Hit him!" the woman cheered with him.

Itachi hesitated before dealing them another card. They already had twenty, normally people stand on twenty because the chances of getting a one to make it twenty-one are so low. "Very well," Itachi tried to say without a sigh as he dealt the next card. It was a Jack. "Thirty," Itachi announced and was about to take the cards back when they cheered again.

"Hit me!" they both cheered.

"The round has already been lost, you can say that on the next round," Itachi explained as he took the cards.

"Hit me again!" they cheered again.

Itachi finally sighed and waved to Kisame up on the balcony. Within a couple minutes, the intoxicated duo were escorted away from the game to allow others to play. A couple people would come and go over the next couple hours to play a little and then go get another drink and watch whatever was being performed on stage.

Nearly all activity in the club silenced when Konan set down her serving tray and got on the stage. The lights in the club were dimmed and a spotlight focused all attention on her. She tapped the microphone softly to test it. As she did so, Sasori discreetly slipped on stage as well and sat down at the piano. The sheet music was probably already laid out for him.

"This song was requested by an important guest," Konan spoke with a fluid grace, both sultry and womanly. The piano began to play behind her and she picked up the microphone from the stand while moving the stand off to the side. Without the bat of an eyelash, she was able to gracefully lift herself up to sit on the piano, where she crossed her legs to reveal a generous view of skin to the audience. Bringing the microphone to her lips, she closed her eyes and began to sing.

Itachi had heard this song played dozens of times and began counting money while debating if he should get Tobi to bring him a drink. He decided to just get a water when the song was over about five minutes later.

"Tobi is a good bartender!" Tobi cheered when Itachi thanked him for the glass of water. Itachi simply nodded to Tobi and turned back to his table. There was no one there when he left to get his drink, but now there was just the person he wanted to see.

Smirking to himself briefly, he sauntered back over to his station, discreetly placing his drink next to the extra playing cards on a shelf hidden under the table. "So you came after all," Itachi said fluidly, his voice projected nothing but calm and cool.

The woman he now knew as Yukiko the diner waitress was sitting alone and dressed exactly the same as the night before. "Should we get this game started?" she asked. "The bet is still our names," she reminded.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at her. "You forget that I saw you at your place of work, where you have a nametag," he reminded, and to his surprise, she smiled like feline. He knew she found this amusing in some way, though he didn't know why just yet.

"Don't worry about that," she said. "Just deal the cards."

Itachi looked around to make sure he wasn't being too closely watched since he wasn't betting money with her. "Very well," he nodded and shuffled the cards one last time and dealt them each two cards.

She had a five and six, making her total to be eleven. His known card was a nine. "Another," she requested and he dealt her another card. As luck would have it, it was a Queen, counting as ten, making her total twenty-one. Itachi flipped over his other card a King, making his total only nineteen.

"Looks like I win this round," she said with a small smile. His eyes were drawn to her lips for more than a moment.

"Beginner's luck," he countered a bit smugly, but she ignored him.

"So does the dealer have a name?"

"Oh right, we bet names," he sighed as he picked up the cards. It was weird to not have to move any money. "I am Itachi Uchiha," he answered.

"That sounds familiar," she thought aloud.

"It might," he said. "Another round or are you going to walk?"

"Another round, I would like to know more about _Itachi Uchiha_," she empathized his name.

For a moment, the way she said his name made him feel a little bashful and he looked down as he smiled before he recomposed himself and met her eyes again. "So what are you betting?"

"Questions and honest answers," she stated. "Whoever wins asks the other a question and they must answer, sound fair?"

"Intriguing," he said and he pondered the stakes. He was very interested in how something like this might turn out. "Deal," he said and dealt the cards. She started with sixteen.

"Another."

"Twenty-six," he stated when was dealt a ten. "You bust, dealer wins," he stated. "Now to collect," he looked at her and she didn't even bat an eye.

"I suppose you'll want my name to start," she began.

"I learned your name from the diner, it's Yukiko," he stated.

"That would be a dishonest answer," she said and he raised an eyebrow for a second.

"Okay, then what is your real name?" he finally asked.

"Suki Yukimura," she answered.

"Why do you use a fake name at work?" he asked.

"That's another question, but you'll have to win again," she smirked.

Itachi smirked back. He thought this could be fun. "Alright, let's deal another question," he said and dealt the cards. When he won he smirked at her again. "Dealer wins, so why do you use a fake name at work?"

"To protect myself," she answered.

"Protect from…" he trailed off, catching himself from asking another question. "Let's deal again," he said. He won again. "Dealer wins, I told you it was beginner's luck for earlier."

Suki rolled her eyes at him. "Just ask your question," she said.

"What do you need protection from?" he asked.

"That's kind of a loaded question, there's kind of a story behind it," she said.

"I will win pieces of it then, until you tell me," he suggested.

Suki thought for a second. "Can I trust you?" she asked.

"That's a question," he smirked as she frowned. "To answer it anyway, I believe you can trust me, whatever it is in your life that you need protection from, I can assure you that it has nothing to do with me."

Suki nodded and thought about where to begin her story. "Let's see, to start off this tale, you should know that I originally lived in Konoha, and my family had certain expectations of me."

"Is that all you're going to tell me?"

"Yes."

Itachi sighed and began to deal the cards. He frowned when he lost. "What is your question for me, Ms. Yukimura?"

"Do you have a family?" Suki asked.

"I have a sibling, so yes, but I have not started a family of my own if that is what you want to know," he stated.

Suki nodded and motioned for him to deal the cards again. She won again. "Tell me about your sibling, what is your relationship like?"

"My little brother lives with me, he can be kind of a prick sometimes, but he's smart, and he looks up to me a lot," he stated.

"That sounds like a good relationship," she mused.

"I guess it is, just wish I could do more for him," Itachi said and began to deal the cards again.

Suki won and she had to think carefully about her next question. "Let's see, how old is you brother?"

"Seventeen," Itachi answered.

"Ah, that makes more sense based on what you said about him."

Itachi dealt once again. He won. "Tell me more of your story," he said.

"I was the youngest in my family," she started and Itachi noticed that she said 'was', but tried not to read too much into it since she is talking about the past. He'll learn the rest of it anyway. "And as soon as I turned eighteen, I was betrothed to my in-law," she said.

"And so it gets interesting," Itachi smirked and she laughed.

She won the next round with a perfect twenty-one with an Ace and Queen. "So where are you from?"

"Grew up in Konoha too," he said.

"That must be why I recognized your name, must be from a big family, or at least well-known," she remarked and he didn't say anything more as he dealt the cards. When she won, he sighed and looked at her. Their eyes locked for a second. "I get the feeling you have quite the back story as well, Mr. Uchiha, many people in this town do, that's why they're here."

"Go ahead and ask a question," he said.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

Itachi looked up for second and then he looked over at the balcony. One motion to Kisame was all it would take to end his game if he didn't want to play anymore. However, he kind of wanted to tell her. Telling his life story to a complete stranger wasn't the safest thing to do, but for some reason his gut was saying that it was okay.

"That… is a loaded question," he remarked with a slight air of humor. "There is quite the story behind that, and I am not sure if you need to know it," he said.

"Aw, you can trust me, who am I going to tell anyway?" she said as he stared at her lips.

He wanted someone to slap some sense into him at the moment, he couldn't stop looking at her lips and it was making him tense. The worst part was that he wasn't sure if he liked or hated how she made him feel. What was he thinking? He wasn't sure himself.

"I don't know," he said.

"Look, you don't really have to tell me if you don't want to," she said.

"I think I will start from the beginning, but you will have to win the pieces of my story too," he said.

Suki smiled at him. "Sounds like fun," she nodded.

"I was a prodigy child, brilliant in everything, math, science, martial arts, dance, literature," he listed and then paused. "As a result of my brilliance, there was high expectations of me."

"I have to say, you're making yourself sound like quite the catch," she giggled and he looked away from her as he felt something almost giddy rise up in his chest. As if butterflies suddenly appeared in his stomach and then decided float up to tease his heart.

Silently, he dealt the next round. She won.

"Tell me the next part," she said and folded her hands under her chin to listen.

"I didn't always get along with my father, he had a lot of power and influence, something that he expected to be able to use against me when we didn't see eye to eye, and for the most part, it worked and I did as I was told," he explained and then dealt them each more cards.

This time he won and he looked at her. His face was serious. "So what's next in your story?"

Suki took a breath. "You see, I didn't want to marry him, he was the younger brother of my sister's husband and very immature. I knew that I wouldn't be happy, so I tried to get out it, but it didn't go well. It was either follow my dreams or be a part of the family."

Itachi understood that her pause meant that it was time to deal again. This time he had a ten and she had a Jack and a two, making her total twelve.

"Another," she said and he dealt her another card. It was a Queen.

"Bust," Itachi stated. "Tell me more, what was your dream?"

"Oh it's stupid really, childish even, but at the time I was taking classes and going to auditions to be an actress and perform on stage, I wanted to sing, dance, be in drama or comedy…" she paused and Itachi was about to begin to deal the card again, but paused when she continued to speak. "My fiancé had other expectations for me along with everyone else, and I didn't love him so I couldn't go through with it. When an opportunity presented itself for me to leave and make a new start, I took it."

"And that's why you're here," Itachi stated. "You're hiding from your past, are you…" he stopped himself before he asked another question. "I will just deal the cards," he said and dealt he. This time she won.

"Tell me more about you, Itachi," she said. The way his name came so naturally from her lips intrigued him further.

"So I did what I was told and was the perfect child right," he continued his story. "Then came the day I learned something about my father, not just him, but about the rest of my family, meaning extended family. Everyone besides the children were involved in this, and it was time for me to be in on it. Just so you know, even if you ask what exactly they were doing, I can't tell you," he explained. "That was the day I stood my ground against my father, told him what he was doing was wrong, it was against everything he and my mother ever taught me and still he expected me to… well things went downhill quickly after that," he explained and dealt the cards.

She hesitated and he wondered if she wanted to play anymore. "I think I only have time for one more round," she said. "Another card, please."

"Of course," he said as he dealt her another card, causing her hand to bust. "Then my last question is, are you still trying to fulfill your dream of being on stage?"

She looked away bashfully for a moment. "Yes, I am, it's hard, but I try to get the legitimate contacts I can by continuing to take classes when I can," she answered.

"That's good," he said. "Working hard is supposed to pay off, I hope it does for you."

"Thank you, Itachi Uchiha, I appreciate your kindness, I wish more men were like you."

"I may have sounded like a catch earlier, but I can assure you that I'm a failure," he said. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yes, it is very late and I have to work early in the morning," she said. "Is there a back door that I can use?"

"Yes, I can escort you through the back," he stated as he picked up his fedora to put it on.

They walked with her following close behind as they past the bar. Nobody seemed to be watching them, even Tobi who was busy juggling bottles of expensive chardonnay. He led her into the back room and to the alley. Itachi didn't notice when Suki put something on the edge of the door to keep it from latching when it shut behind them.

"It was good getting to know you, Itachi, I wish I could come back to visit every night," she said.

Itachi just noticed how close they were standing, only inches apart and that space seemed to be shrinking. "It was nice to talk with you," he said, while somewhere in the back of his mind he was wondering why he was leaning towards her as his eyes were locked onto her shimmering pink lips once again and when his hand had found her waist. He didn't know what he was about to do. He was just acting without thinking and losing control.

"We can't…" Suki breathed and he became acutely aware that their lips were a mere inch apart. He pulled back and blinked, unbelieving of what he was just doing and of what he was about to do. "I mean, I like you, but we only just met and haven't even gone out on a date, so…"

"O-of course! I-I wouldn't…" Itachi panicked slightly. Was he really about to take advantage of this woman? He didn't even know what he wanted from her. "How about tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?" she looked at him.

"A date, tomorrow at five, I'll pick you up outside the diner you work at," he suggested. "I'll treat you to dinner, just the two of us."

"How forward," she commented. "But how could I refuse? I'll be there," she winked just before turning around to walk away, as he watched her leave the alley and round the corner out of sight.

Itachi couldn't believe he just did all that. He supposed he could rub it in Sasuke's face after giving him a hard time about his lack of love life. There was at least that bit of satisfaction this whole strange ordeal could bring him. His mind was in such a daze that he didn't notice that the door didn't latch behind him when he went back inside. That giddy sensation had come back and he almost wanted to leap for joy. Of course, he didn't do that, but simply took a minute to composed himself before would return to his station.

Throughout the night, the woman in the red dress was sitting at the bar. Not socializing or doing much of anything. She appeared to be enjoying the entertainment provided. She had noticed when her companion, the woman in the pink dress, had the blackjack dealer lead her out the back. As she waited for him to return alone, her eyes were gazing into her half-finished ginger ale. A soft tune from the piano gently glided over the room, as to not to disturb the socializing of the guests.

When Itachi had finally returned to his station and another player got into the game, the woman in the red dress slipped off her seat at the bar and left the club the way she came. She left silently and discreetly.

From the stage, where Sasori played the piano, he saw her leave and wondered why she was leaving.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

I normally post around the end of the week, but since I'm leaving for a couple weeks and will be without internet, I posted this chapter early.

At this point, show some support to the fic, or say what's wrong with it so I can know how to get better. Just reviewing anonymously is welcomed too. Just, _something_ from the _largest anime fandom_ on this site would be appreciated. I have worked too hard and long to get near-silence as feed-back. It's getting discouraging to even post.


	5. Just a Job

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 5**

**Just a Job**

Sasori finished his piano score and moved to leave the stage. He actually had a lot of work to do since he started tonight. Pain told him that he had received news that Sound was conspiring again and that it would be wise for the Akatsuki to be prepared for when things turn ugly. This meant that Sasori had to stock the arsenal himself with everything and anything he could fix up or put together using what they already had.

As much as he hated to do it, he might to have to tell that woman from the night before that those guns she was interested in were no longer going to be for sale.

"Too bad too, they might have been perfect for her," Sasori muttered as he went downstairs. He opened the basement door where he did most of his work and found that the lights weren't on. "Where the hell is Deidara? He's supposed to be here," he grumbled as he turned on the lights.

One by one the lights flickered on and he approached the main workbench where he had various supplies still laying about. As he put his fedora down and forgot about Deidara, Sasori started to get to work on reconstructing an older gun that needed to be repaired and modified before it could be used.

He worked on it for several seconds before he noticed something was off about his workbench. Something was missing. Taking a step back, he looked at it. What could it be? Wait, he hadn't put the handgun from yesterday away after its tune up and cleaning earlier. He had one thing left to do to it and he was going to do it when he got back from playing the piano upstairs in the club.

"That gun…" Sasori muttered to himself as he looked around the workbench, scanning the surface in case it got moved when Deidara was last in here, even though Deidara wasn't supposed to touch anything on this workbench.

That was when he heard a soft double click, a sound very familiar to him. It was the sound of the safety on a handgun being released. The only problem was that it was someone else that made the sound, and whoever it was, they were behind him.

Sasori didn't say anything. This wasn't the first time he had a gun pointed at his back, so he wasn't as frightened as he thought he should be. Slowly he lifted his hands into the air and slowly began to turn around.

"I should have known," he said to the woman in the red dress. "How did you get in here?" She didn't say anything. "You know, I thought I saw you at a place called Cid's diner this morning, I planned to ask you if you work there when I saw you again, and I think this counts."

"What about it?" she finally responded.

"You, you're trained," Sasori stated. "Aren't you?"

She didn't say anything or even bat an eyelash. Her eyes simply pierced him, daring him to pry further.

"How exactly might a young woman like yourself have received such training?" he wondered aloud as he folded his arms over his chest and titled his head to the side as he gazed at her. She obviously didn't appreciate this and her eyes narrowed into a slight glare. "Too calm to be criminal, perhaps you were formally trained, law-enforcement perhaps? No, that's not it."

"Just give me what I want, and I won't have to kill you," she finally said.

"And what might that be, _Risa_?" he nearly taunted.

"You know exactly what it is, the rifle, where is it?" she demanded.

"Didn't have time to search for the other gun, right?" he observed. "Look, I know I might not look like the most competent fella in this club, but I can assure you that not only am I older than I look, but I have gotten out of far worse situations."

"Staring down the barrel of my gun doesn't seem like a good situation either," she remarked.

"No, no it doesn't," he said and with a perfectly fluid motion he drew a pistol out his coat and pulled back the safety. "Tell me, why do you want it so much?"

"It's mine," she said without hesitation.

"Prove it, tell me something about it," Sasori challenged. "I might return it to you then."

"…On the trigger itself, there is two specks of red paint," she said. "And it has my insignia on it."

"What? I didn't see an insignia during my examination," Sasori wondered.

"It's hidden, you have to take it apart to see it."

Sasori was silent while he thought about it. He did not have time to take apart the sniper rifle that she was clearly after, not yet at least. Yes, there was a couple specks of red paint on the trigger that he assumed matched the red stripe that made the rifle look so unique, but he had no way of verifying the second piece of information.

"Why are you going through all this trouble to get it back so suddenly. You could have pointed that same gun at me while it was loaded yesterday and shot me in the face when we were standing right next to each other, what changed?"

She remembered earlier that day when that creepy white-haired man with the glasses that hired her in the first place showed up again and was very displeased with the news that she hadn't made any progress yet. However, he promised to gather a little more intelligence as well to help her identify the target, since it was by no means an easy job as it was. When there's a powerful client breathing down her neck to get the job done, it meant that she was running out of time. It was clear that she couldn't play it cool anymore and she needed to get her weapons back quickly. Therefore, she set up a plan to sneak in through the back from the alleyway, where her companion covered the latch on the back door, allowing her to simply push it open from the outside. When she got in, she removed the cover, allowing it to latch again. Originally she was supposed to be in and out in under two minutes, but she couldn't find her sniper rifle right away. Her two minutes weren't even up when the lights came on, and she had to hide. Luck was simply not on her side during this mission.

"…I am running out of time," she finally answered simply and gripped her gun a little more firmly to remind him it was there.

"For what?" he questioned.

"None of your business," she answered sharply.

"Fair enough," he said. "Look, I'm not an unreasonable man, so how about we both put down our guns and work out a deal?" He casually took a step closer to her. She was merely a handful of steps away.

"You ask a lot of questions," she stated as she took a step back and gripped her gun.

"I can't help it, but for some reason I haven't figured out yet, I want to know more about you, something about you intrigues me, and I need to find out what," he admitted as he felt a bit of heat rise up to his face, just a bit. Despite his better judgment, he took another step closer to her.

"Stay back, or I will be forced to shoot you," she warned when he took yet another step and she was forced back against the other workbench. Her steady hand wavered for a second. She didn't want to shoot him, it wouldn't be right, he was not her target.

"Just put the gun down, and we'll talk," he said. "I don't want to shoot you anymore than I think you want to shoot me."

Neither one moved, so Sasori decided to take a chance and he slowly began to lower his gun. By what he considered a stroke of luck, she mirrored him and also began to lower her gun. Very carefully he approached her.

"That's it, no one is going to get shot here," he said as when as he finally got close enough to take hold of her gun, though she refused to let go of it.

Their eyes locked for a moment of shocking intensity. For some reason, in that moment, he didn't question it. He wanted to be close to her, closer even. This scent of sugar that came from only her intrigued him greatly as it made the back of his mouth water with a foreign appetite. His eyes searched hers through her glasses, looking for some way to read her. Did she feel what he was feeling? There was no malice in her eyes, no fear, but no trust either. He had no idea what she was thinking.

He could feel the warmth of her body brushing against his, despite no physical contact. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wanted to close the short distance between them, just to feel it. Without realizing it, his body began to lean toward her with their eyes still locked. His mind was focused but in a haze at the same time. The gun in his other hand hung loosely at his side, all but forgotten.

In the deadly silence, there was only a barely audible hum of the electric lights, until an almost earsplitting thud echoed throughout the room as the door was opened and someone began to walk in.

They each jolted their heads in the direction of their intruder to find Deidara carrying a heavy box with both arms. Upon seeing the two, Deidara froze and they all just stared for several long seconds.

"Um…" Deidara began awkwardly. "I'm just going to…" he said as he backed out of the room and the door closed by itself.

Sasori jolted himself together and snatched the gun from her hand and then stepped back as he coughed awkwardly. "What… what were we doing?"

She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it before speaking, "I want my guns back."

"Right," Sasori said as he backed away a few more steps while mentally slapping himself.

The door suddenly opened again as Deidara stepped in again. "Sorry, but I'm supposed to leave this here…" he said and quickly set the box down by the door. "I'll leave you to it now, but next time would you just get a room, or at least put a tie on the door handle?" he said as he slipped back out.

Sasori's hand came to his face and he groaned. He was embarrassed, and he knew that the whole club was going to hear about this before he could do anything about it. Maybe he should have let her shoot him.

"Have you forgotten about me?" she started and he looked at her as he set the guns down on the table.

"I remember," he said as he pulled a notebook towards him and then picked it up and began flipping through it's pages. "Just give me a second…" he said.

She pursed her lips together, not liking the situation, before she fidgeted uncomfortably. "Are there really… rooms here?" she asked softly, almost embarrassed to ask, but she was obviously curious.

"Upstairs, yeah," he answered. "Some of us live here, hold down the fort kind of thing," he said.

"Do you happen to know if someone called Sa–" she started.

"Ah-ha, there, perfect," he said and snapped the notebook shut. "I think I can work out a deal with you," he started and quickly made his way over to get the box Deidara had dropped off. He hefted it up and got in to his workbench and began to pry open the lid. "You see, I have a job to do too, and that involves taking care of the equipment that gets delivered."

Inside the box were shiny new parts. She looked at them in awe and great interest.

"So if somehow the guns you claimed to be yours were delivered by mistake, I think I can return them to you, but for a fee for the tune up, of course."

"As I mentioned yesterday, I can pay, but I need them now."

"Three days," he said.

She glared at him. "Now."

"What are you in such a hurry for anyway?" he asked. "Gang war?"

"What'll it take for you to get it done by tomorrow night?" She ignored his questions, but he got the sense that it was for something completely different.

"What for?" he asked.

She sighed irritably at him, but seemed to be giving in a little. "I have a job to do, one that keeps getting more complicated every day," she said.

"I have a job to do too, and that is fix guns, among other things," he started. "Look, I won't hold it against you for pointing a gun at me and all, it's not the first time this has happened."

"I will be back tomorrow, with cash for the tune up," she said, a warning behind her words.

Sasori knew that he had got himself into a bind. He really shouldn't return the guns to her, with the threats coming and their lacking arsenal. However, he wanted to do this. He believed her when she said they belonged to her.

"It's a date," he smirked when she rolled her eyes at him. It was worth it to see a tiny blush creep across her pale cheeks. "Just don't try to shoot me tomorrow, they'll be ready for you, I'll even tuck them away so no one else can try to sell them, deal?"

"Fine," she agreed. "Until then, stranger," she turned around to start towards the door.

"I'm hardly a stranger now, am I?" he said with pinch of humor.

"We don't know each other's names," she explained.

"I know yours, you're Risa, it was on your nametag at that diner," he said. "That was you, wasn't it?"

She paused, but didn't look back at him. "But that's not my name," she said and began walking again. With her hand on the door handle she finally looked back at him. "It's better to remain strangers," she said and left without waiting for his reply.

Sasori watched her every step of the way until the door shut. Turning back to the guns, hers and his, laying on the table in front of him, he picked up hers and opened it.

"Wasn't even loaded," he mused. "Must have just caught her," he closed that gun and put it in his jacket and then picked up his own gun and opened it as well. "Good thing too, because neither was mine," he chuckled. "Better take care of that," he said to himself and searched for the correct shells so he could load it.

When that was done, Deidara had finally showed up again. "Yo," he greeted.

"Hn," Sasori acknowledged and was already fixated on a magnifying glass placed above some parts Deidara didn't recognize.

"So I totally blocked you earlier, didn't I?" Deidara started awkwardly. "Sorry about that, wouldn't have come in if I had known you were planning on getting busy, yeah?"

Sasori froze for a second and then whipped around to face the younger man. "You actually thought that's what I was doing?"

"Well… yeah," Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Guess you should have seen what I saw, looked pretty intense, you know?"

"You're an idiot," Sasori turned back to his work.

"Whatever," Deidara brushed it off. "But check this out, I totally saw Itachi with some chick in the alleyway earlier!"

"Don't care, that guy can do whoever he wants…" Sasori brushed it off. Really, he wasn't a teenager, and this kind of gossip didn't really interest him.

"I know, chicks are always trying to get him, but he never goes for it, yeah," Deidara explained. "He's like you, hasn't even looked twice at a woman in years, but now… so it must mean something's changed!"

Sasori gave up on his current task and turned back to Deidara. "And why are you getting so worked up?"

"Come on, my man, think about it!" Deidara grinned. "This is like some kind of sign, you, him, and even the boss are getting busy, we all thought this would never happen!"

"Sign? What kind of sign?"

"I dunno, but I hope it's a good sign, like maybe something really awesome is about to happen and we'll all end up rich!"

"I doubt that," Sasori deadpanned. "And besides, there's nothing going on between me and that woman, you're getting ahead of yourself."

"Aw, way to stomp on a man's dreams, humph," Deidara pouted. Sasori rolled his eyes and returned to his work as Deidara gathered some things. "By the way, does that woman have a name, you know, so I have something to call her by?"

Sasori opened his mouth to answer, but then paused as he recalled the last words he exchanged with her. "I don't know," he finally said. "It doesn't matter."

Deidara groaned dramatically in his frustration with the red-head. "Come on… seriously? You're so stupid," Deidara nearly whined.

"Shut it, you brat," Sasori snapped. "Get back to work already."

"Fine, what do you need?" Deidara sighed as he pouted.

"Reload the empty shells, you know where the gunpowder is," Sasori answered while already getting back to work himself. Deidara muttered something about the boring busywork, but did as he was told.

The shop fell into silence as they worked and Sasori finally pulled the out the sniper rifle and placed it on his workstation. His fingered gently followed the red stripe as his mind wandered. Why would she paint this? Did she do it herself? How many people had she shot? Why? Why did she need it? How did she get it? Who was she? So many questions and he knew he shouldn't care, shouldn't even think about it at all. It was just a job. For both of them. It was best if they didn't cross each other. Who knows what could come up if they met much more.

Little by little he opened up and removed the pieces of the rifle. He took great care as he did, as if he was undressing a woman, revealing all her secrets to him. In his mind, knowing that this gun really did belong to a woman, a small part of his mind wandered into strangely ardent territory he thought did exist anymore. One by one, every part got examined and worked over fully, carefully, and skillfully.

He was so deep in thought and absorbed in his worked that he didn't notice when Deidara got up to get something and decided to watch over his shoulder for a minute. An impressed whistle from the blond man nearly made him jump out of his seat.

"That's one good looking gun there, what model is it by the way?" Deidara wondered.

"I am not there yet," Sasori answered shortly.

"What's this?" Deidara pointed to something red and was about to pick it up when Sasori smacked his hand away and then looked where he had been reaching. It appeared to be a decal of some sort that had been hidden. "Looks like some sort of bird," Deidara mused.

Sasori grew oddly silent and then stiff. "Deidara, did Pain ever find that assassin he wanted to recruit?"

"He was recruiting? When?"

"You haven't been here as long so you might not be aware that Pain is always keeping an eye out and listening to the rumors. For the past couple years, there was been some quiet chatter of an assassin, a sniper for hire," Sasori explained.

"Wait, I know what you're talking about," Deidara thought for a moment. "What was that guy called…"

"The Red Raven," Sasori answered grimly. "If this is really the insignia of the Red Raven, we have could have a problem on our hands if she decides to work against us."

"Wait, like the Red Raven's working for someone else instead? But that could mean any of us can become her target."

"Before you say anything, get Kakuzu to lend us his bingo book, I want to compare this insignia to whatever he might have on file, we need to confirm this first," Sasori ordered and Deidara nodded and left to go upstairs and find Kakuzu.

Sasori ran his fingers over the insignia. It looked like the same ink used for the stripe on the outside and likely painted by hand.

"The Red Raven, huh? Said to have a cold, black heart covered in the blood of your victims. Have to admit I'm a bit surprised you turned out to be a woman, no wonder Pain couldn't find you," Sasori smirked at the insignia. "I have to say, you just got a lot more interesting…"

He now had even more questions about her. Was she really the Red Raven? Why was she here? How did she become this way? Who was she before? She said she had a job to do. Was she already on the hunt?

Briefly, he considered that she could be the next assassin hired by his old partner. However, she's had plenty of chances to kill him while standing so close to each other. Seemed strange. He wanted to know more about her.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

I've got nothing to say. Folks don't seem to really be into this story much.


	6. A Grifter's Dream, An Assassin's Heart

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 6**

**A Grifter's Dream and An Assassin's Heart**

"It's a date," the red-headed man said and she couldn't help but roll her eyes while a small blush heated her face. Was he actually serious? This was preposterous. She was only going to come back for her guns tomorrow. "Just don't try to shoot me tomorrow, they'll be ready for you, I'll even tuck them away so no one else can try to sell them, deal?"

"Fine," she agreed. "Until then, stranger." She had to get out of there. This man was making her nervous. She needed to remain calm at all times.

She had turned around and started towards the door when he spoke again. "I'm hardly a stranger now, am I?" he said, and she could hear the slight chuckle in his voice. However, she didn't know what was so funny.

"We don't know each other's names," she explained.

"I know yours, you're Risa, it was on your nametag at that diner," he said. "That was you, wasn't it?"

She paused, but didn't look back at him. So that was him in the diner after all. He thought he was so clever it seemed. If he only knew who she really was and what she was capable of, then he would know to stay away. It was best that no one be associated with her. If he knew who she really was, she might have to hurt him. She didn't want to do that. Then she feared that he might try to approach her in the diner. That he would associate with her in front of a client, like that Kabuto, who seemed to like to keep an eye on her.

"But that's not my name," she said and began walking again. With her hand on the door handle she finally looked back at him. "It's better to remain strangers," she said and left without waiting for his reply. She wanted to tell him why. It would be so much easier, but he can't know. Hopefully, the colder she is to him, the further away he'll stay.

The door closed behind her as she began to climb the stairs. It appeared that he wasn't going to try to pursue her. Good. Tomorrow should be the last time she ever has to see him. Then she will have her guns back and she can get back to work. Her time in the bar tonight had been useful. She thought she might have identified her target, a man with orange hair that sat in the shadows having quiet conversations with few others. She had yet to see him leave the club, and he had a dangerous air about him. So far he was the man that most closely fit the vague information she had to go on to find Sasori. Once she is able to confirm the orange-haired man as her target, she had a bullet with his name on it. Then Kabuto and Orochimaru will pay her the rest of her commission and leave her alone if they fulfill their end of the contract. If they didn't leave her alone, she would simply disappear again.

"Excuse me, Miss," the blond man from earlier said as she reached the top of the stairs and he was about to go down. "Is Sasori still down there?"

She froze instantly and looked at him intensely, making Deidara shrink back a bit. "I-I'm sorry for walking in so rudely earlier, but he hasn't left yet, right?" he tried.

She turned away and began towards the alley exit. "Right," she said.

"Whoa, scary…" Deidara sighed when she was gone. "Oh, gotta get down there."

In the alleyway, she leaned against the icy brick walls and glared at the ground. "Tsk," she gritted in irritation. She felt so stupid, useless, and unprofessional. Getting so close to that man… her target? How could she ever let that happen? The last time a man tried to get that close to her, he ended up on the ground in pain, and he didn't even get close enough to feel his breath on her skin. However, that _Sasori_ did. Why didn't she just walk away? Instead her mind just blanked. It was like time just stopped while at the same time was moving faster than she could comprehend. It was frightening.

Now she has to kill him, as her contract stated.

She didn't want to.

That's why a sniper was never to get too close to their target. Observant and calculating were a couple of her greatest strengths, but also weaknesses. For as much as those skills helped her excel in her cruel trade, they also complicated her emotions and her empathy. There was many sleepless nights filled with thinking about her crimes. The things she's done. The lives she ended in exchange for money. It sickened her. She needed to leave this town. This commission could be her last, and the Red Raven would finally be gone forever.

She reached down to lift the skirt of her red dress and then kicked the bricks in frustration. "I have to end this, before it goes to far. I know who he is now, only one step left before this job is done."

Looking up at the blackened sky, the stars were blocked by the smog, and she reminded herself the freedom was just around the corner.

It didn't take long for her to get home once she was able to get a taxi. Her apartment was in a dark building and up four flights of stairs. Two steps on each flight of stairs would creek. It was something that annoyed her immensely. In the dark hall, she removed her key from inside her blouse and unlocked the door.

There was a couple lights on in the dreary studio apartment, though it was still dimly lit. It wasn't that bad, there were splashes of color and obvious attempts to liven up the place and add a little class.

"Raven, you're back," her roommate said from her place sitting on one of the beds. "Did the tape on the door behind the speakeasy work?"

"Yes, I got in," Raven said as she locked up the door, all five of the locks, and then took a chair and put it against the door. Stepping over to the small kitchen area, she filled a teapot with water and put it on the stove to begin heating it. Finally she turned back to the other. "However, I didn't get the chance to get my stuff back."

"Oh, this is sounding like a hard mission."

"I'm getting closer," Raven said as she sat down on her bed and removed her heeled shoes. She rubbed her sore feet. Between being a waitress and those cursed stairs, her feet had plenty to complain about without the recent club visits.

It only took her a minute to change into more comfortable clothes, and as soon as she was done with that and her dress was hung up, she moved back to the stove and turned it off since the water was beginning to steam. She immediately poured the water into a shallow basin that was sitting on the floor in front of one of the chairs by the small table in the kitchen area.

"Suki, did you already wash your feet?" Raven asked as she put the teapot on one of the cool burners of the stove.

"Yes, I just finished up before you got back," Suki explained while she ran a brush through her hair.

Raven simply nodded in response before sitting down and dipping both her feet into the hot water. It was almost too hot, but she knew it would only take a minute for it cool a little more and for her to adjust to the heat. As she soaked her feet, she looked over to her roommate. The other woman seemed happy about something. "How goes the… grifting?" she asked, making sure to say the last part quieter in case the walls failed them.

Suki blushed instantly. "It all going according to plan, phase one is complete," she said.

"You didn't fall for this one, did you?" Raven asked.

"What? N-no, of course not," Suki assured. "He's handsome alright, but it'll take more than that to win me over."

Raven sighed. She hoped what the other woman was saying was true. With her own issues on her recent mission, she was wondering what was happening with this world. "Good," Raven finally responded. "We'll both be able to leave this stink hole soon."

Suki nodded and put down her brush. "…I can't believe how close we are, it's like a dream."

"Or a nightmare, everything has been so complicated."

"A happy ending would be nice though."

"I won't hold my breath," Raven said.

Suki sighed as her shoulders dropped. These days, there was no such thing as hope. Whatever happened, happened. As long as they had a goal and a plan to go with it, that's what there was to work towards. There was no guarantees anything would work out even half as good was what they wanted, or what they hoped. "…Yeah, I won't either."

"On the bright side, as soon as I get this job done and have my last paycheck from the diner, I'm finally going to kill that sicko that always tries to grope us every morning whenever we bring him his coffee."

Suki laughed at that. "Yes, please," she giggled. "You did swear you'd snap and kill him outright one day."

"Yes." Raven's simply answer caused Suki to laugh more.

"Just promise me that I'll get to kick him or something before he dies, okay?" Suki winked.

"Of course, he's grabbed at your rear more than enough times to justify that, in fact, you should kick him several times," Raven stated matter-of-factly.

"Yay, can't wait!" Suk cheered, albeit quietly given the hour.

"Now with the happy thought of bringing intense pain to someone else, we should rest since we have to work tomorrow morning," Raven smiled as she stood.

After drying her feet, she left the basin how it was for now and turned out the lights as she made her way to her own bed. The last light to go out was a candle. They would only have a few hours of decent sleep until they had to get up again.

* * *

The next day, work at the diner was business as usual for the first few hours. They wore their ridiculous girly-doll uniforms, took orders, and served coffee to the early risers. Then Itachi came in and sat at the counter. He waited around until Suki finally talked to him.

"Hey you," she smiled. "More coffee?" she offered.

"Yes, please," he nodded.

"So what brings you here so early? I thought I wouldn't see you again until tonight," she wondered.

He smirked at her. "I was bored," he said simply. "As much as I would like to stay here all day, I do have some work later today, but with a little time to kill until then, I came here."

Suki smiled and rolled her eyes. "Hope you don't think I'll only wait on you, I've got a job to do too," she told him and he just smiled. "What are you doing today anyway?" she asked.

Itachi took a drink of his coffee and set the cup down before answering. "I just have to take care of something."

Suki had an idea of what that really meant. She had been in this town long enough now to know that with his kind of life, it probably meant he was going to hurt or possibly even kill somebody. "I see," she said as she walked nodded and walked away to serve other customers. As she did, Raven stepped out of the kitchen with a couple plates and gave Suki a questioning look to which Suki didn't respond because Itachi was still watching her.

It only took a couple more seconds for Itachi advert his gaze, to which Suki sighed in relief. Just when she thought things would be normal again, someone else walked into the diner. Suki instantly saw who it was as her eyes went wide and she cursed under her breath. Without a second wasted, she ran into the kitchen to hide.

Not even a minute passed when Raven returned. "What is it? Why'd you run back here?"

"It's Shusuke, he just came in," Suki answered.

"…Who?" Raven wasn't sure what Suki was talking about and hoped it wasn't someone Suki had robbed.

"You know the guy that had that car I'd always talk about?"

"Yes, but he was moving to somewhere in the East, that's why you targeted him," Raven nodded as she remembered.

"Well for some reason he's here again, and I really can't have him or the new guy suspecting me or blowing my cover!" Suki panicked.

"…What name does Shusuke know you by?"

"Just Suki," Suki answered. "I never gave him a last name."

"Good," Raven nodded and sighed as she scratched her head. "Just wait here, I'll wait on him or get him to leave if he's looking for you… man we so need to leave this dump of a town…" Raven was already walking away before Suki could respond.

To keep herself busy, she organized the freezer. Not the most pleasant job to do, but still better than going out there and potentially blowing her cover. Shusuke himself was a nice enough man, however, he had a lot of friends in his gang and they were all very protective of each other. It was definitely high risk on that end, however, he was leaving this town, so unless he told his friends how much money he suddenly parted with, and about her presence at the time, they shouldn't have been able to find her again so soon.

Suki wasn't even sure if he came to the diner alone. She panicked and fled as soon as she saw his face. There was already so many places she avoided going and being seen around in case something like this happened. Those she scammed that figured out they were scammed would not be happy to see her again. If she wanted to live much longer, she was going to have to leave this town with or without the funds she needed.

"Hey," a male voice suddenly started from behind her, causing her nearly jumped out of her own skin.

Her heart raced as she whipped around to see who it was and didn't know what to think when she saw Itachi standing there. "You… You're not supposed to be back here," she told him firmly.

"Risa said it was okay," he explained.

Suki raised an eyebrow. It took her a moment to remember that Risa was just Raven's cover name. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Well no," Itachi said and Suki sighed in relief. "But I was going to ask you the same question, is that man causing you problems?"

Suki feigned ignorance. "Who?"

"…I would stick around the diner until he leaves to make sure nothing happens, but I have to leave soon and I wanted to make sure you would be alright," he said.

Suki blushed slightly. No man had ever shown concern for her like this. "I can handle myself, and us girls that work here look out for each other, so I'll be okay anyway."

"That's good," Itachi said. "Remember, I am picking you up at five, so dress nice," he said with a smile.

She smiled back. "Okay, I will see you then," she added with a playful wink. As soon as he left Suki giggled to herself. This situation was playing right into her hand. How fortunate.

After another minute, Raven slipped in and told her she could get back to work. Suki nodded and followed her back into the diner. The next five minutes were business as usual until Suki saw a man with white hair tied back into a low ponytail standing outside the diner window. He was just staring inside with a cocky expression. It was really creepy.

Suki didn't know if she should try to tell him to go away or not. He wasn't bothering anyone and no one was even looking at him as they went about their business. She wasn't sure what she should do so she waved Raven over.

"There's a man in the window," Suki told her.

"What?" Raven looked over and the white-haired man waved at her. "…Great, it's him."

"You know him?"

"Kind of, what does he want now?" Raven gritted. "Cover for me while I go take care of this guy, be right back."

"Right!" Suki nodded.

Raven slipped out the back door through the kitchen and found Kabuto already waiting for her in the alleyway. As usual, he was wearing his fedora, a long coat with a suit, gloves, and glasses, as well as his cocky knowing smirk.

"Harassing me again?" Raven started.

"Not at all, Miss," Kabuto began calmly. "It was requested that I get a status update from you, I hope to bring back good news."

Raven frowned. "Why? Think I can't do my job?" she defended.

Kabuto chuckled lightly. "Well you are out here talking to me instead of working on your day job, nice uniform by the way, I can assume the pigtails are required?"

Raven tried not to growl. "Watch it," she warned.

"Have you confirmed your target?" Kabuto completely ignored her threat. She wanted to shoot him in the foot to show how he shouldn't mess with her. However, there were certain circumstances that prevented her capability of doing that at the moment. He should consider himself lucky.

"…I have," Raven answered.

"Excellent," Kabuto said as he pushed up his glasses. "I trust you will finish the job soon?"

"Yes," Raven said. "I do the job and then I get paid," she reminded, mostly to herself as her confidence wavered.

"Of course, the second half of your payment has already been arranged and is waiting for you back at our office," he told her.

Raven nodded in understanding. "Is that everything you needed to know?"

"Yes, now I know it's a bother to keep showing up like this, but my Master wants to be updated on this mission, as you must remember, we have hired several other who have failed miserably given the same job."

"I remember, that's why you sought me out so intently."

Kabuto nodded and pulled down the rim of his fedora. "Well, until next time ma'am, I will let you get back to work," he said as strolled away. "Good luck," he added almost mockingly.

As he turned the corner she pointed her finger in the shape of a gun. "Pop, pop, dead," she muttered to herself. The imaginary action wasn't very satisfying. Too bad someone hadn't hired her to shoot him instead. She'd actually be glad to rid the world of that man. So far that Sasori guy seemed like the kind of person that just did his job, not really a threat. In fact, it made more sense to try to bribe Sasori to switch sides and work for Sound instead.

There was obviously some information she was still missing, but she wasn't supposed to question it. Questions just made things more complicated. She knew that there were few reasons to kill somebody, but many reasons not to. Once she spent too much time on a job, she'd have to face those many reasons, and it made her job that much harder.

When she thought about it, she knew she was already conflicted. In her frustration, she kicked a dumpster with her petite healed shoe that was a part of her ridiculous lolita waitress uniform. Looking down her now scuffed shoe, she glared at it for lack of a better thing to be angry at.

When Raven returned to work as Risa, the breakfast diner waitress, she half expect Sasori to show up, just because of the events that already took place today. He didn't, probably because he was working. She just wanted to go home and be done with this day already, but tonight was going to be another long and difficult one. There would be no rest until she was free. However, if everything went according to plan, her final means towards freedom and a new life was only a couple days away.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Just an OC chapter, this will be the only one that's focused on the girls POV...

**Belated Facts:** Did you know because of the depression by the 1930s money was scarce, so a lot of parents were unable to provide their children with the things they needed in order to go to school, and since taxes were going unpaid, school boards had a hard time keeping schools open and some had to charge tuition, causing many students to drop out for a least a year.

Full education had become a luxury. Most of Itachi's earnings goes to keeping Sasuke in school and providing him with a decent life to set him up for a good future. If Itachi wasn't taking care of his little brother, he'd actually be somewhat "wealthy" in this setting.


	7. Worth It

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 7**

**Worth It**

Sasori had been working all night and before he knew it, the sun was coming up again. When he finished his work for the club the night before, he had taken the Red Raven's weapons to his room upstairs so he could work on them on the side. He was almost done, so he was sure they would be ready for her tonight. However, he wasn't so sure if he should return them to her if she was indeed the Red Raven, the new infamous sniper for hire that people have been whispering about. Personally, he wanted to give them to her, and watch her try them out on the test target in the basement, and then watch her face light up at his excellent work when her weapons practically sing. That moment would make him happy. His work was what he lived for. He hasn't seen a person care so much about their weapons in a very long time. Not since before he got involved in the gangs when he was teenager.

Having been up all day and night, he was very tried by morning. He struggled to keep his eyes open as he put the rifle in the case and made sure he didn't forget anything. The rifle wasn't quite done yet, but he was too tired to repaint it. He wanted it to shine like new before he gave it back.

Sasori picked up his cigarettes and looked at his watch. There was something he had to do at noon, which he learned of when the club closed during the night, but that was still some hours away. He sat on his bed and took out a cigarette and lit a match, but instead of lighting the cigarette, he yawned. It wasn't very often that he was too tired to smoke, but it appeared that this was one of those times. Waving the match for it to go out, he put everything back down and laid himself flat on his bed with his hands behind his head.

His room was fairly dark with the lights out so early in the morning. The streets were still quiet outside. While on his back he stretched his toes and closed his eyes. However, his rest was short lived.

"I knew I would find you here," a voice said. Sasori snapped his eyes open and sat up with a start.

"It–it's you!" he exclaimed as he stared wide-eyed at the woman in the red dress. Her chestnut hair was clipped up in the back and her long bangs framed her face as always when he saw her at night. "What are you doing here? Wait, how did you get in?"

She didn't answer. Instead she pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. As she crossed her legs with one knee over the other, he found his eyes drawn to the bare skin of one of her thighs through the slit of her dress. Around that thigh was an empty gun holster. "So you noticed by holster," she commented and he felt his face heat up as he pulled his eyes away. "I'm out of time, I need it now."

"Need it? What?" He rubbed his eyes as he stood up. She was quiet as he made his away across the room and placed one of his hands on the table.

"You know what I'm here for," she said calmly. "Remember, I am able to pay for your service."

For some reason this conversation sounded very familiar to him. It was like déjà vu. But where had he heard those words before?

While he spaced out, she must have got up and moved behind him, because the next thing he knew, she was already sitting on the bed when he turned around. "I thought you were coming back tonight, I'm not done yet," he told her.

"Oh?" she blinked once. "I don't think you know how badly I need them back."

"But it's incomplete."

"I see you're quite the perfectionist, I like that," she said as she crossed her legs again. This time he was able to keep himself from staring too hard, nonetheless he had to swallow the lump in his throat. How many years had it been since a woman was on his bed? He'd have to count back, but that wasn't exactly where his thoughts were turning, and he didn't want his mind to go there either.

"You should come back later," he told her as he gestured the door.

"How ignorant, maybe you don't understand what I'm willing give you in exchange," she said and then reached behind her head and removed two clips, letting her long hair fall. She even gathered half of her hair flipped it over her shoulder to rest down her chest. Then she took her glasses off as she leaned back on her hands and simply looked at him.

His mind blanked before it hit him. "You mean…?" He had to be going crazy, this couldn't happening. What _was_ happening?

She giggled. "Don't tell me you're… innocent?" she sat up and combed her fingers through her hair.

Sasori's face heated up again. "Of course not," he muttered as he approached her. "You don't have to do this," he said as he offered a hand to help her stand up again. She blinked and then took his hand. He looked down at her hand, admiring how soft it was. It felt like forever since he was touched. Then he had a bad feeling when she smirked. "Gah!" he shouted when he was suddenly and roughly pulled down. He landed heavily on his bed next to her and he immediately tried to get up, but before he knew it, he was pinned on his back. "Wha… how did you…?" The words died in his throat when he met her eyes and they locked with a fierce intensity. His whole body tingled with a strange anticipation, but at the same time, he felt like he had no strength, like he had turned to pudding. He was so confused.

At this moment, she was in a position of power as she sat above him and looked down at him. "This is what you have wanted from me."

"I… I don't know," Sasori breathed. Somewhere in his jumbled up mind, he was wondering why his legs wouldn't move.

"It is, and everyone knows it, why don't you accept what your heart it telling you?"

"My heart?" Now that he thought about it, it was fluttering frantically in his chest. Sometimes he forgot he had a heart. Of course, he had lived his life as if he was crafted from wood for a long time.

She placed both of her hands on his chest and leaned down close to him. "Don't you feel it? It's beating so fast, but you're not scared, your breathing is too calm and your eyes are too soft."

He reach up to thread his fingers through her hair as he held part of her head to keep her close. They were so close he could feel her breath on his skin. "One side of me wants to be close to you… but the other doesn't want to at the same time," he admitted.

"Which side is speaking louder?" she asked.

"It isn't a matter of speaking louder, it's who has the best argument," he said as he subtly guided her even closer. She was only an inch away. "I don't think I like the side I'm about to listen to," he breathed as he drew her lips to his as his eyes drifted shut, however, just before they connected, there was a loud bang that cause him to jump and snap his eyes open again.

The next thing Sasori knew, he was alone in his bed and someone was knocking at his door. His room was brighter than it was before. He had been sleeping. Sasori groaned and rubbed at his face with both hands as he sat up in his bed.

"What the…?" he looked around quickly. "What is wrong with me? That dream was so…" The knocking persisted. "Hold on!" he shouted irritably as he got up. "I swear I'm going crazy, that woman is going to be the death of me, I swear…" he muttered.

He unlocked his door and finally opened it to find Deidara already in his face. Sasori's fist clenched as he struggled not to punch the blond man in the face. "Were you sleeping or something, my man?" Deidara questioned.

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"Oh, grumpy," Deidara teased and then backed away slightly when the red-head glared daggers. "Anyway… it's almost noon, we got that thing to do, yeah."

"Fine, I'll be right down, just going to wash up a bit first, I just woke up," Sasori said as he rubbed his forehead.

"Alright, see ya down there," Deidara saluted and turned around.

Meanwhile, Itachi Uchiha was just stepping into the Akatsuki's club from the backdoor where Zetsu was waiting to let him in. It was dark since everything was shut down inside during the day. He kept his fedora and sunglasses one, and kept the cigarette resting between his lips instead of putting it out outside. Since he had cut back on his smoking, he made every cigarette he did have last as long as he could.

Just before it was time to close the night before, Kisame caught a spy from Sound that was sneaking around the club. The man refused to talk so he got locked overnight in an empty room in the basement that they only used as a cell. Everyone was expected to return the next day at noon for an interrogation.

Itachi made his way down the stairs to the basement where only some of the workshop lights were on. Kisame was standing guard by the cell door already, while Pain, Konan, Kuzuku, Hidan, and Tobi stood around. There was no greeting when he came in, not that he expected any. He simply chose to stand near Kisame and continue smoking as he checked the time.

Within the next couple minutes the last three members filed into the basement. Deidara came back first, then Zetsu who had finished his perimeter check, and then Sasori who got there right on time.

Pain immediately took charge and stepped forward. "He wouldn't talk to just Kisame last night, but after a night in the cell and our most humble… courtesy as the Akatsuki, he should break in no time. If he's from the Sound or not, it must be made clear that we will not tolerate spies and thieves."

Most the of the other members nodded seriously. Deidara punched his fist into this other hand and grinned.

"So the usual, beat up and then chat?" Deidara said cockily. Pain nodded and Kisame opened the cell door to reveal a man with brown hair tied to a lone chair in the center of the small room. One by one the Akatsuki would enter until they were able to surround the prisoner.

Unluckily for the prisoner, the stare down was not enough to make him break, so they broke his face instead. Violent hits to the head and gut were usually enough to make a person crack, however, this one was stubborn. Even when black and blue, and bleeding from the forehead, all that made him do was give a snide remark as he bore through it all. He had no idea what or how much information he was giving away by being able to bare the near-torture. It was obvious now that he was hired, a professional spy, someone that was trained to take the hits and then some, all while protecting his leader.

That was when Pain casually removed his prized weapon from the holster under his arm in his jacket. It was a custom altered pearl-handled pistol with golden parts and a perfectly polished steel casing. The room was dead silent except for some heavy breathing from the prisoner. Everyone heard the distinct sound they knew too well of the safety of the gun being released.

"You must know that I do not care if you live or die," Pain began, using his most professional and intelligent voice, completely smooth and void of any discernable emotion. "Without saying anything you have told me all I truly need to know."

The prisoner looked up through bloodied eyes at the Akatsuki leader at the other end of the gun. "Wh… what?"

"Just look at your situation and all you have endured," Pain added. "Naturally I can assume that he knew I would understand his message by sending you here."

"N-no! You mean…"

"Yes, it is a disappointment for you, I'm sure," Pain said without any remorse. "Just a pawn destined to suffer because of him, the one you admire so much, but he would not dare send help or someone to save you, you were expendable to him."

"Lies…" the prisoner tried.

Deidara chuckled, to which Sasori threw him a glare. "What? He seriously has no idea that he was thrown away like yesterday's trash," Deidara defended.

"He will learn soon enough, they all do," Sasori reminded. "We all learned the same thing."

"What?" the prisoner coughed.

"It is none of your concern anymore really," Pain told him. "Now you have two options, neither are generous deals for you I suppose, but at this point I will show you mercy and let you decide what fate you would want to bare."

"Bang!" Tobi called out suddenly, making the prisoner jump. "That's always the first option," Tobi said.

"Indeed," Pain continued. "First and foremost, you are allowed to request to have your life extinguished here and now, two sure shots through your skull and you may face God's judgment next, or…" Pain paused and waited to see if the prisoner had anything to say, but he remained silent. "You betray your leader, give us all the information you can and either join us, remain a prisoner, or take a drive with Uchiha to wherever he decides is far enough to release you, however, you would start with nothing at that rate, we would even take your name, assuming you have one..."

The prisoner looked surprised and then began to think it through. Many had received the same options before, and the answers have always been varied. They could never actually tell with any certainly what option a prisoner would choose. The fate they chose revealed the most about them.

"Have you decided?" Pain questioned, his finger still on the trigger.

The prisoner took a breath, "…I, Kidomaru, choose death." As soon as he said it, Pain pulled the trigger and his skull was pierced through the center of his forehead, causing him to slump over. Pain took a step to the side and shot him again in the side of the head for good measure, since one bullet to the brain isn't always enough to kill a person.

"Phew, finally that's over," Deidara sighed. "Little cold there, Boss."

Pain simply closed his eyes for a moment. "Get this cleaned up, Itachi and Kisame will dispose of the body."

"Right," Itachi and Kisame nodded.

"And Sasori, Deidara?" Pain began to get their attention. "Instead of cleaning up, I want the two of you to prepare our arsenal as best you can, it appears that I was right, Grand Sound is going to attack us again soon."

Sasori and Deidara nodded and moved to leave the cell and began working right away. "So the guy that was just knocked off was a Sound agent?" Deidara commented as he cleared away some boxes.

Sasori nodded. "Yes, it appears my _old friend_ Orochimaru still holds a grudge, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was still trying to kill me."

"Oh yeah, you used to work with him," Deidara remembered. "Isn't he still pissed at Itachi for something too?"

"I believe so," Sasori nodded. "Few years back when Itachi first arrive here, Orochimaru tried to recruit him, but Itachi had already joined us, so he was really pissed since his lackeys aren't worth anything and he needed someone decent to be his right hand. I don't know who he found instead. You came along not too long after that," he summarized.

"Tsk, everybody wants Itachi, the Sound never tried to recruit me…" Deidara complained.

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Just get back to work, brat…" Deidara didn't really help his case when he turned around to face Sasori and stuck his tongue out in an offensive gesture.

Meanwhile, it didn't take long for Itachi and Kisame to dump the body of the Sound spy outside of town. Once that was done and they were back in the car and they were making their way back to the club. Kisame sat in the passenger seat while Itachi drove.

"Just before we left, I heard that Pain might not even open the club for business tonight," Kisame mentioned.

"Yeah? Guess he's worried then," Itachi commented. Closing the club meant a whole night's worth of profit will be missed, then again, the club would fail if Grand Sound attacked while the business was opened and the customers got hurt or killed in the crossfire.

"What do you think you'll do tonight if the club is closed and we aren't called in to guard it?" Kisame asked.

"Well, I do have a date this evening, maybe I can have the date last longer," Itachi smirked.

"Nice," Kisame nodded.

When Itachi got home later, he decided to start getting ready for his date with Suki. He showered, shaved, and dressed handsomely. The woman seemed to admire luxurious things, so he was going to take her to a upper-class restaurant uptown. He hoped to get a better glimpse of the real her during the evening. His eyes couldn't be fooled easily, so he wanted to know more and perhaps find out why thoughts of her seemed to plague his mind.

"I'm home," Sasuke's voice said flatly as he came in.

"Welcome back, little brother," Itachi said as he emerged from his bedroom.

As Sasuke placed his bag on the table he eyed his brother suspiciously. "Why are you dressed up so early?" he questioned.

"I have a date," Itachi smirked and Sasuke simply raised his eyebrows for a moment.

"Like a real one, with a girl?"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm taking her out to dinner this evening," he clarified as he reached into his inner coat pocket and retrieved his wallet. "This doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with eating just junk food tonight, so here," he said as he placed some money on the table. "I wasn't able to make it to the store, so you can pick out what you want to eat tonight."

"Will do," Sasuke said as he sat down. "Then later tonight I'm meeting up with my friends, I won't stay out too late though."

"Good, you need to socialize more," Itachi commented, making the younger one roll his eyes. "Just make sure you get back before it gets too dark, you know what this place is like at night, I don't want you caught up in anything too bad."

"I know."

"Since you're a teenager, the pathetic police department of this town might actually try to do something about you," Itachi reminded.

"I know."

"Sasuke, come here for a moment," Itachi said as he motioned him over. Sasuke gave him a glare of skepticism before stepping over to his elder brother, which resulted in being poked in the forehead. "I know you know, I just want you to be safe."

Sasuke pouted slightly as he glanced away. "I'm fine, you don't have to worry."

"I will always worry about you, because you're my little brother," Itachi responded confidently.

"Shouldn't you get going for your date?" the younger Uchiha changed the subject.

Itachi nodded with a slight smile on his face. "Should be worth it, don't you agree?"

"How would I know? I'm just glad you're finally moving on," Sasuke retorted, but that only caused Itachi to chuckle almost evilly as he stepped towards the door.

"Well, it is a bit more of an experiment, but I will spare you the details," Itachi said as he moved to the door. "Stay out of trouble," he added as he left.

Itachi got back into his car again that day, and this time he checked himself over in the mirrors before driving off towards his destination. Not only was he hoping to crack the mystery of his interest in Suki, perhaps find out what she was hiding, but he was also kind of excited to be going out for once. It has been so long since he had been out with a woman. He tried to date a little bit when he first came to this town, but it was simply not a good time for him and he wasn't ready to move on. Now, it was bit like being a teenager again. That almost giddy sensation would rise up and make him forget that he was kind of on a self-imposed mission.

First stop was to pick up some flowers for his date. He was an Uchiha after all, and they loved to make impressions on people. It was something he figured out when he was pretty young, but presenting a gift to his date, even the first date, would leave a very good impression on her. The more thoughtful the better, though sometimes that was a bit hard to do on either short notice, or to keep from repeating events.

He spent a while deciding on whether to get a single flower or a bouquet. They both had their merits and it depended on the preference of the woman receiving them. Then there was a color choices. He figured he could get a single red rose, but the meaning is to obvious, and frankly, he wasn't sure what he felt towards this woman. A red rose would probably be too deep, too soon. Then he considered a pink flower of some kind. There was some very nice pink colored flowers that stood out to him, so he purchased one that looked nice. He didn't even know the name of the flower or its meaning, nor did he bother to find out.

As long as nothing unusual happened that is beyond his control, Itachi knew that this date would be fairly simple and innocent. He wasn't intending for it to be anything more than a simple outing, though the company of a lovely women would certainly be a nice change of pace despite the goal to find out what she was hiding from him. Whatever she was hiding, his instincts told him that he needed to know, and Itachi Uchiha was not one to ignore his instincts. He had survived this long for a reason.

He would be there soon. As he drove, he looked glanced at the flower he just bought which laid in the passenger seat. Hopefully he hasn't lost his touch with women, it had been a very long time since he was last on a date.

He parked at the diner and got out of his car. It was a little early, but he wasn't going to keep her waiting. Sitting against the hood, he took a cigarette and a lighter out of his jacket pocket and lit it as he took a long drag. As he placed the lighter back in his pocket, he released the smoke into the air above him. He looked around and took another smoke.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something shine slightly as it moved under the sun. If his eyesight hadn't been so keen, he would have missed it. Releasing the smoke through his lips, he glanced over at whatever the slight flash was. For all he knew, he could have seen a reflection in a store window.

At first, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just some pedestrians walking on the sidewalk across the street and then a taxi passed through. Then he saw a man in a very nice trench coat leaning against the wall as if he was waiting, his fedora obscured his face as he looked towards the ground. Itachi narrowed his eyes as he focused on this man. Finally, the man looked up just slightly, and the sun's rays reflected off his glasses while his white hair stood out starkly against his black clothes. Itachi could see the smirk on the man's face.

As if he hadn't seen anything, Itachi looked forward again and took another smoke. Seeing Kabuto from the Sound was never a good sign. Especially this close to the Akatsuki. Itachi knew there was nothing to worry about at the moment. If Kabuto was going to shoot him, he could have done so already.

What started out a promising evening just took an interesting turn that warranted caution. Pain's instincts about keeping the club closed tonight seemed to be correct.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

A bloody murder scene for you in this chapter. Hope you remembered Kidomaru. He was the spider guy from the Sound four that fought Neji.

Hope you are enjoying the story.

Time for a drink.


	8. Ambiguous

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 8**

**Ambiguous**

It was a nice dinner. They simply wined and dined as they talked and laughed. Itachi had to admit that he was having a nice time. He hadn't enjoyed himself on a date since before he left home and joined the Akatsuki.

She spoke of her dream of becoming an actress and that she was working to pay for acting classes. He told her about his brother and about a few fond memories he held of playing with him and teaching him things when they were much younger. Time seemed to slip by as they conversed.

"When I would go out on errands for my family and he had to come with me, I had him chase down cats to collect their paw prints, he got pretty good at it too," Itachi chuckled as Suki laughed.

"No way!"

"Yes, I just wish the book had not been left behind, it was where he complied all the prints he got," Itachi added.

"Left behind where? Did you not get to keep it?"

"It is probably still back home, unfortunately I can not return nor visit, and Sasuke has no desire to go back yet," Itachi answered.

"So he can go back, but you can't?" Suki could tell that the mood had started to sour.

"That is right."

"Why not, did something happen?"

"Of course, something really bad happened and I was banished and disowned," Itachi reminded her of their game back at the club before he took a drink of his wine. "However, the details of that story is not something you would want to hear right now, this is a date after all," he smiled at her charmingly.

Suki nodded, "Alright."

"So," Itachi started, since this had been the best window of opportunity to ask. "Why are you in this town? There are far better acting schools in much better, safer towns," he commented.

"Well… it's kind of a complicated story," she said.

"Shoot, I have all night," Itachi said.

Suki fidgeted in her seat a little. "As you know already from our game, I was engaged, and I had some family drama problems."

"So you were a runaway," he added, showing that he remembered, and she pouted a little at the term.

"I guess you could say that, but I wanted the chance to follow my dreams and since I had next to nothing when I left, I had to make do where I could," she explained.

Itachi finished off his drink before responding. "I am sure there is more to the story than that." His sharp eyes noticed the slight hesitation before she answered.

"Well, there's a lot that's happened since then, but all that matters to me now is how close I am to finally moving on with my life," she said and then she rested her chin on her hands as she looked at him across the table. "Ever since I met you my goal has felt even closer, don't ask me why though."

Itachi chuckled. "Is that why you came to the club that night? To gamble and raise the last of your funds?" he asked.

"Oh no, I don't gamble much, I was just looking for a good time," she said. "Need a social life sometimes too, you know?"

"I suppose so, and Akatsuki is a good place to do that, we do not treat our guests poorly and we want them to return after all," he explained.

"Must be why it's so popular, people don't feel like they're being ripped off there," she observed.

"That is the idea."

"By the way, do you get tonight off? I don't want you to be late for work if this date goes too long," she said.

"As far as I know, the club is closed tonight," he explained.

"Why?"

"Our rival is getting overconfident again, we do not want the club to be attacked while guests are present," he explained.

"Oh my, does that happen often?"

"No, and we intend to keep it that way, otherwise it is bad for business. Not to mention that if the police get involved, Akatsuki could be fined or shut down for illegal selling."

"Makes sense," Suki said and finished off her drink.

"Are you finished with your meal?" he asked.

"Yes, it was good."

Itachi signaled for the waiter to bring him the check. "After this, I know of a spot just on the edge of town that has a great view."

"Alone with a beautiful scenery, how romantic Itachi, I wouldn't have guessed you would go so far out your way to show a girl a good time," Suki commented with an air of humor.

"Well, perhaps I have a reputation to uphold," he raised an eyebrow.

"Really now? And what kind of reputation would that be? Don't tell me you're not the gentleman you appear to be," she teased.

"Oh, but you see, I am the most respectable form of gentlemen," he said with exaggerated panache. "On a first or only date, I am expected to provide an utmost memorable experience for a young lady such as yourself."

Suki laughed at the way he was speaking, it was as if he was a fake French waiter talking about the specials of the day as if they were the greatest delicacy in the world. Sure it was still charming the way he did it, but ridiculous nonetheless.

Itachi wasn't able to keep the act up much longer either as he serious face finally cracked and he chuckled along with her. The waiter had just come by with the check while they were busy laughing and looked at them as if they were insane, but probably thought they were drunk despite the small about of wine they shared.

Itachi paid in cash and left a tip. "Shall we leave, Miss?" Itachi stood and offered his arm.

"What? Without dessert?" she teased as she stood and took his arm.

"If you still want to be in my company later this evening, we can share dessert back at my place," he whispered, and she raised an eyebrow at him as she smiled flirtatiously. "However, I do not want to miss the view at sunset, so we must take our leave now," he continued normally.

Suki nodded as she let herself be led out of the restaurant. After a few minutes, they reached his car, and he opened the passenger door for her. It only took him another minute to get into the driver's seat, start the car, and begin to pull out of the parking lot.

As he turned out onto the street, Itachi didn't fail to see another car that had been on the side of the road pull onto the street behind them and begin following. In a precautionary measure, Itachi began to zigzag through the various intersections. Confirming his instinct, it was almost certain that the other car was targeting and tailing him.

"It appears we are being followed," Itachi said as he check his mirrors again.

"What?" Suki exclaimed and looked behind them and then sat back in her seat properly with a grim expression. "I recognize that car…" she admitted.

"So they are more likely following you? Why?" he inquired.

"Remember that guy as the diner this morning?" she asked and Itachi nodded. "I am almost positive that's him and some of his buddies behind us…"

"What happened? Why are they following you?"

"He thinks I took something from him when we stopped seeing each other, and he doesn't believe anything I have to say about it," Suki explained.

Itachi knew she wasn't telling him the whole story, but accepted what she was telling him was true. No matter what the case was, he was now a part of this mess, and he wasn't going to get caught in the crossfire. Even if just for the sake of his reputation as a member of the infamous Akatsuki, he would put an end to these guys that dare threaten him.

Looking in the mirrors again, Itachi found that there were no longer being followed, and instead the other car was speeding up and beginning to drive up alongside him on the otherwise empty street. Itachi gave them the cold shoulder, continue to drive at a normal speed, and pretend he didn't notice they were there, let alone existed at all.

"Hey!" someone from the other car shouted.

Itachi continued to ignore them. He could tell that Suki was getting nervous in the seat beside him. "Suki, be calm, and if this gets ugly, I want you to hunker down and hold on tight," he instructed her.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" they shouted at him again.

Itachi looked over and finally rolled down his window. "May I help you gentlemen?" he replied loudly but eloquently.

"Toss the girl out and leave, we've got business with her!"

"That would be awfully rude." Itachi was a cool as ice and it only infuriated the pursuers.

"Do it or else!" That was when someone from the other car pulled up a gun and shot at him. However, Sasori himself and altered this vehicle to be ready for just this kind of situation, and the bullets bounced off the bullet resistant exterior with only scratches left behind. Suki heard the gunshot and immediately ducked down in her seat.

"Have a nice evening, gentlemen," Itachi saluted as more occupants of the other vehicle raised their weapons. With a red light ahead, Itachi sped up his car, causing the other vehicle to speed up even faster as they were determined to stay ahead. Then Itachi smirked as he pushed his foot into the brake petal and fell way behind as the other car dove recklessly into a busy intersection. Screeches were heard as cars braked and swerved out of the way and avoided accidents.

Itachi knew he only had seconds to get out there as he quickly spun the car around as Suki braced herself against inertia. Then Itachi put the car into gear, floored the gas petal, and took off in the opposite direction. Once the car was back in complete control, Itachi rolled up the window and returned both his hands to the steering wheel.

"Guess we won't get to watch the sunset together," he chuckled.

"What are you going to do, they'll be following again any second," Suki stated hurriedly as she watched behind them.

"We're going to have to hide for a while," he stated.

"Where?"

"Trust me, since they are after you and have no idea who I really am, you can just hide out at my place until it's safe to leave," he explained.

"Are you sure that's okay?" she sounded worried.

"Please, what else am I supposed to do for a damsel in distress?" Itachi smirked as he began to zigzag through various streets again. He didn't see Suki smirk to herself as he focused on the road and the mirrors.

After several minutes, Itachi pulled into a small parking lot to an apartment building. The building had certainly seen better days, wasn't in bad condition either. After parking, he got out and opened the passenger door for his date. She wasn't surprised when she watched him reach under the seat and pull out a gun that immediately went inside his coat.

"Right this way, we must not dawdle," he said while looking around and then quickly made his way to the door where he unlocked it and opened the door first. "After you," he said and allowed her to enter the building.

All that was in front of her was a flight of stairs. "Stairs," she deadpanned and looked down at her poor feet.

Itachi looked down and saw the heeled shoes. He remembered his mother complaining about her feet would sometimes either get pinched or sore from wearing them. His mother much preferred flats. He also recalled his ex-girlfriend wearing heeled shoes sometimes. "Would you like me to carry you?" he offered.

Suki whipped around and looked at him surprised. "What? Oh no, that won't be necessary, I can manage a couple flights of stairs."

He almost didn't have the heart to tell her that he lived on the top floor. However, he didn't want to cause her pain either. He watched as she began to carefully ascend the stairs and sighed as he made up his mind. Without saying another word, he came up behind her and scooped her up into his arms. She let out a yelp of surprise and instantly clung to him for fear of falling.

"I-Itachi?" she tried, but then he started moving quickly up the stairs. "You don't have to…"

"Don't be silly, you are as light as a feather, it is no problem at all," he assured and she was rendered speechless until he set her down in front of a door. "This is it, my humble abode."

When he opened the door, it was surprising empty. It had all the basic furniture, but no decoration, photos, or extra colors to make it unique and a home. "How modest," she said as she stepped inside.

"I live within my means," he said as he closed the door behind him.

"Where's your brother?"

"Out, he's got things to do as well."

"Oh? So it's just us?" Suki turned to look at him.

"I had not planned on actually bringing you here tonight, if that's what you are thinking, but the circumstances require it," Itachi said. "Our other option would have been the club, but we are dealing with another problem there tonight."

"And that's why it's closed, I remember," she nodded. "What kind of problems are you expecting to have?"

Itachi smirked. "You ask a lot of questions and we are not even playing the game or placing bets."

"Looks like I've got the time until it's safe to leave, are you challenging me?"

"I'm off duty, I really shouldn't bring my work home," he shook his head.

"Then what do you want to do then?" she inquired.

"We wait," he stated simply and she frowned.

"Aw, but that's no fun," she wined slightly.

"I do believe the date was put to an abrupt end, and now is not the time for games. I will admit that I am curious what your full story is, especially regarding that man, but it is none of my business, even now as you take refuge in my home." He was completely serious.

"Are all Uchiha like you?" she asked playfully to lighten the mood.

"…Not exactly," he shrugged. "Pride has poisoned many of my clan."

"Including you? Is that why you were disowned? Sounds like something petty happened in your youth."

"I wish it were that simple, you know nothing of the crimes I have committed, those of which I can never repent for."

"…Sorry, I didn't mean to… just sorry, forget I said anything."

"How about some tea while we wait?"

"Yes, sounds lovely," Suki smiled as she nodded.

"I only have black."

"Hehe, that's fine."

Itachi put water on to heat up on the stove and pulled out a seat for her at the table and gestured for her to sit down. When she was seated, he sat down as well. "How charming, dinner and then bringing me back alone to your home and making tea, you must have been quite the ladies man," she joked.

"You know, I think I may have given you the wrong impression of me, I am no ladies man," he said and they shared a small laugh.

"You could be, if you wanted, you are certainly handsome enough."

Itachi shook his head. "I have too much baggage, not to mention I'm supporting my brother, but to be frank, I am a very serious man. As a serious man, I take dating very seriously."

Suki blushed at that. "What are you saying?" She hoped he wasn't going to suddenly purpose to her. That would be way too serious.

"I wonder if I should have asked you out."

Suki frowned in her disappointment. For some reason, she was already insulted as she assumed he was regretting this. The date wasn't that bad until the incident in the car. Up until then they were having fun. Wasn't he enjoying her company?

"I have my reasons for doing so, but it is so unlike me," he leaned back in his chair before continuing. "To be honest, I am struggling just like everyone else, and as a serious person, I cannot take on a wife as I am now."

Suki's heart was racing. Was he actually thinking of her as a potential wife? "Even if tonight went well, it's not like we're getting married."

Itachi chuckled. "I know," he said, surprised she said that. "However, would you have gone on a date with me, let alone talk to me at the club if you knew this? I may look like a winner in at the card table, but I am actually a loser in life."

Suki wasn't sure what he was trying to say. "That's… well you're so handsome and honest, I think that's more than enough even if you're struggling in life," she said and leaned forward to look at him. "I'm struggling too ya'know, and I really like you… you just don't have much, right?"

"Just my family's greatest asset, something I would never exploit," he was about to say something else, but the teapot on the stove began to whistle, catching both of their attentions.

"Here, allow me, I insist after you have been so kind to me," Suki said as she was already standing up to approach the stove.

"Okay," he agreed. He had already set everything that was needed out on the counter so the rest was easy.

"How much sugar would you like?" she asked from the counter.

"Two please."

Suki put two sugars in his glass before stirring and picking up both saucers to place them on the table. He nodded in thanks as she sat down. She smiled at him before taking a sip from her cup. "It's good," she said.

Itachi picked up his own cup and began to drink it. "Enough talk, how about some card tricks while we wait, I can entertain you while you are here at least," he suggested.

"What kind of tricks?"

"I will show you," he said as he took a deck of card out of his jacket pocket. He shuffled them in a showy way and then laid the cards out in front of him and took another drink of his tea. "Pick a card," he said before taking another drink and then finishing off the cup as she decided on a card.

She picked one up and looked at it. It was the Queen of Diamonds. She smirked at the card. "Now what?"

"Um…" Itachi rubbed at his forehead.

"Trying to remember this trick?" she giggled.

"No, it's just… I am really groggy," he said and blinked several times as his vision became foggy.

"Oh, it was a long day today, maybe you should lie down?"

"I think… there's some… thing…" he tried to speak but then he suddenly collapsed onto the table, causing some cards to fall on the floor.

"Itachi?" Suki asked as she remained seated. He didn't respond at all. It appeared as though he was asleep by the steady rise and fall of his back from his breathing. "Well then," Suki began as she calmly stood up. "I'm really sorry about this, you're the nicest guy, but I'm too close to turn back now," she said she rubbed his back in a comforting gesture. She looked at the card still in her other hand. "This can be something to remember me by," she said before she kissed the card, leaving a perfect lipstick print on it. "Since you didn't get to kiss me before…" she said as she set the card down on the table and then turned away from him.

It might have turned out he didn't have a lot of money, but his greatest asset had to be around here somewhere. She had no idea what it could be. If it was something valuable, it could be sold to produce a nice sum. Unethical it might be, but desperation stomps on those ethics cruelly.

"Damn it," Suki cursed after she searched the whole apartment. She didn't find anything worth anything that she could take. Looking at Itachi's still slumped sleeping form at the table, she debated what her next course of actions should be. He would still be out of it for hours. Surely he would figure out about the drug she slipped in his tea soon after waking. His intelligence was already proving to be too dangerous for her and she already feared that he was on to her. He was not going to be pleased when he woke up, and with his power, she had no idea what he might do to her. Yes, he was nice guy when flirting, but she knew he was most certainly not harmless.

With Itachi about to figure her out and her past catching up to her, she was already panicking. It was time to leave, with or without the funds she needed. All that was left was a new start.

From her search, she had found a pair of handcuffs in a box on the desk. She had no idea why Itachi would own such a thing and store it in his home, but they did provide some use to her. To ensure she would buy herself a little more time before he came after her too, she bound him to the chair he was in.

It was a little difficult to get him to sit upright long enough to cuff his wrists to the back of the chair. Then she tied his ankles to the legs of the chair so he really couldn't move. She knew that would at least slow him down a little bit. Long enough for her to disappear. That was all she needed.

Suki looked at him one last time. Her eyes settled on his face for several seconds. "Maybe if we had met in a different life," she said to him before quickly turning away.

When she left the building she felt a cold chill of the night breeze hit her skin, causing her to stop and shiver for a second. Just as she started moving again, someone stepped out from behind a parked vehicle on the side of street. She had to stop again to keep from bumping into him.

"Oh, excuse me," she said as she began to go around him, but he blocked her path.

"Miss, I believe you are acquainted with Itachi Uchiha?" he said eloquently, so perfectly fluid and calm.

She looked up at him and he tipped up his fedora, revealing white hair and glasses. "It's you, the man from the window today?" she said and she took a step back when he smirked like a snake. However, as she continued to move away from him, he followed until she had her back to a wall. She wanted to scream, but no one would help her. There was no one that would come to her rescue. The only one that would do that was drugged and bound.

"You are coming with me, Miss," he said as he reached for her.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Cliffhanger...

Beta's Question: What is Itachi's most valuable asset? _"Just my family's greatest asset, something I would never exploit."_

You may guess if you like.

I normally post weekly on Fridays, but I probably won't post next week... or the week after that. If I end up not having the next chapter ready in a few weeks, I'll mark Hiatus in the summary.

Remember, if you see a spelling or grammar error, please PM instead of review, so when it's fixed , the review isn't made irrelevant since they cannot be deleted.


	9. Moments in Time

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 9**

**Moments in Time**

Sasori yawned and stretched his back. It had been a long day. He spent most of it working frantically. Deidara did a lot of work too. Together they were able to get every weapon they had ready for use and loaded. They would be short on extra rounds until they received more supplies, but they were ready for the Grand Sound to launch an attack and that is what mattered, simply being ready for the worst.

As darkness fell, he heard that the club was staying closed for certain tonight. Maybe even the next night. They put a sign on the door to inform their customers. Zetsu was also stationed inside tonight. Having Zetsu remain by the door, he could turn people away and keep a watchful eye outside. Once it got darker, when the Grand Sound was most likely to attack, Kisame would move to the roof and keep watch from up there.

Tobi cleaned the bar and moved the liquor into wooden boxes which were partially filled with straw so the glass wouldn't break. Kakuzu took care of the finances and books, ensuring they were in safekeeping until the heat died down. Then Tobi stacked the tables and chairs until the lights would be turned out and he would be left to watch the back door in shifts with Deidara.

"Where is Itachi?" Pain asked as he came downstairs and looked over the main part of the club.

Kisame was sitting on the edge of the stage. "He had a date tonight, might be a little late, but he'll be here," he informed the leader.

Pain nodded in understanding. For just a watch, they had plenty of people to keep an eye on the building, but if something really did happen tonight, than he wanted everyone on hand. "Be sure to rest up too, only so many pairs of eyes are needed at a time," he instructed and then returned upstairs with an ashtray that had been placed on the bar.

Just when Pain was gone from sight, Sasori emerged from downstairs. "We're short on extra rounds, but everything you need is down there, just grab and go," he said. "Just don't waste bullets for show," he added, glancing directly at Deidara, who stood by the bar with a cigarette.

"Come on, explosions are beauty, my man," he whined.

"I need to rest for a while, so only come get me if you absolutely need me," Sasori said as he turned towards the stairway once again. "Oh, and if a woman in a red-dress with brown hair and glasses comes by, send her up to me," he added and groaned as his comrades whistled and made encouraging woos. "It's business!" he shouted at them, but they only laughed and teased him more. He was too tired to argue, so he simply ascended the stairs until he reached his room.

Other than the couple hours of sleep he got that morning, he had been without rest and constantly working for more than a day. He wasn't even sure how many hours it had been since his last full rest. If he wanted to be useful at all, he needed to sleep soundly tonight. He already dreaded the inevitable interruptions he was to surely get, but if he was lucky, they wouldn't last long and not require much brain function on his part.

Sasori sat on his bed, not even bothering to slip off his shoes before laying down. He let out a big sigh as he tried to relax. On a normal night, the club would have just opened up and he would be on stage playing the piano to entertain the guests. He could feel his consciousness slipping as he drew closer to sleep.

When he suddenly jolted awake, he was unsure why. He thought he might have heard something, but whatever it was, probably just a bird, it was gone now and he began to go back to sleep.

Once again, he was almost there when he jolted awake and opened his eyes. The clock read the same as when he laid down. He might have thought it was broken if the second hand wasn't still turning. With his rest interrupted before it could even began, he grew irritable and sat up and waited. Just like he thought, the thing that he was certain was waking him up happened again. It was light tap on his window.

Sasori raised an eyebrow thinking how annoying the bird was. Of course it just _had_ to show up to catch insects _right _when he tried to go to sleep. It must have been nature's way of messing with him for fun.

When he heard the tapping again, he was at the end of his rope and he shot up to take care of it himself. He pulled the curtain over and opened the window. Looking around, he didn't see the bird. It must have finally flown away and hopefully it won't come back.

Sasori sighed and was about to close the window.

"Aren't you going to invite me inside?" Someone said, making him jump and look around again.

"What?" he questioned. He couldn't see anybody.

"Just step aside, so I don't accidentally hit you," they said and without thinking, Sasori did as he was told and moved away from the window.

As soon as he did, a slender body dressed in black slipped in gracefully and landed feet first on the floor with nothing more than a soft thud. Then they stood up properly and looked him in the eye.

"It's… it's you?" Sasori started, a bit surprised to see the woman that had been plaguing this thoughts for the last couple days, the woman that he suspected even more so now to be the infamous assassin, the Red Raven. "How did you even…" he moved back to his window and looked up, down, and around along the walls. It would have been a very difficult climb to get to his window.

"Used a rope from the roof and hid on the side of the building until I saw your light come on," she explained. "It took a while to confirm this was your room."

Those were some impressive skills. He thought it was all the more intriguing. Sasori closed the window and curtain before turning back to her. "…Where are your glasses?" he remarked, noticing that she wasn't wearing them.

"Don't need them," she said simply. "Now I believe we have business to take care of."

"Are you insane?" Sasori scolded in a harsh whisper. "Everybody will blow a gasket if they see you go downstairs without ever seeing you arrive!"

"This building appears to be under a lockdown, what else am I supposed to do?" she retorted.

"I told the doorman to let you in if you showed up, you could have just used to the door!" he glared.

"That information doesn't do me any good now, does it?" she glared back.

Sasori snorted and then looked at her, this time examining all of her. She was wearing all black, with combat boots and even gloves. "You're really the Red Raven, aren't you?" he said and noticed her eyes glance away briefly.

"What of it?"

"Who do you work for?" Sasori asked directly.

"Myself," she said simply.

"You know what I mean," he pressed.

"Soon, no one in this way ever again," she added and moved to the door that led to the stairway. "Shall we finish our business?"

"Well, I don't like to keep people waiting, so fine," he said and moved over to his bed, reached under it, and pulled out a case. Then he picked it up and put on the table. "You're items are in here, like I said, I put them aside so no one else could mess with them," he added.

She moved to the table and waited for him to open it. "Well?" she started when he just stood there. "Didn't you just say you don't like to keep people waiting?"

"I also don't like to wait either," he said.

She glared at him and reached into her pocket, retrieving an envelope. "Here's your payment," she said and threw the envelope down on the case right in front of him.

Sasori picked it up and looked inside. "This is too much," he said.

"I don't care," she said bluntly, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Whatever you say," he said as he set the envelope aside and opened the case, revealing two guns, a pistol and a rifle, both looked like new.

"They look good," she said as she picked up the pistol and then opened it. "Smart," she remarked when she found it unloaded. "I assume the rifle is unloaded too?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I never sell a loaded weapon. For safety reasons, I shouldn't even return the original rounds to you. Even if I was going to, I'd have to get them from downstairs."

"No matter, that is what I expected," she said and took the rest of her possessions. "Now, I will be on my way."

Sasori watched as she moved towards the window again. "What do you think you're doing? Use the damn door," he said and quickly moved to open the door for her. She paused for a second. "I don't like to be kept waiting," he pressed and jerked his head in the direction of the stairway, urging her to go through. Wordlessly, she walked passed him. He noticed that she kept her eye on him through the corner of her eye. She was making sure she was constantly aware of where his hands were. He rolled his eyes at her suspicion and closed the door behind him.

She was a bit confused when he followed her. "Do I need an escort?" she questioned as he followed close behind her down the stairs.

"Just making sure there's no funny business," he said, "I don't want to see anything happen to my comrades."

"I'm not going to hurt your comrades," she said and stopped at the bottom of the stairs on the main floor. Then she looked him dead in the eye, "I can promise you that."

He was captivated by her ice blue stare and he to mentally slap himself in order to remember how to walk down the last few steps without falling on his face and embarrassing himself. "…We'll use the backdoor," he said and moved around her to open the door. "After you," he said and she walked passed him to exit into the alleyway.

"We won't meet again," she said as she began to walk away.

"Wait," he called after her, making her pause, but she didn't turn around. "…Aren't you going to kill me?" He came out and said it and watched as her shoulders stiffened. All the clues led to this realization, and now he was sure, though what he just asked was the biggest question of all.

"…Why would you ask such a thing?" she asked, her voice barely loud enough for him to hear.

"If you're the Red Raven, then Orochimaru must have tried to hire you by now, right? That guy just won't give up," Sasori explained. "It's not enough that he wasted my youth, he wants to end my future too."

She turned to face him and had a thoughtful look. There was no use in trying to deny it. "I don't want to, especially not like this, face to face while you wear that pathetic expression." He looked exhausted and worn out.

"If you don't do it, he'll do worse to you as punishment for failing, that's how he works," he said. "I would know, I used to work quite closely to him."

"Part of a sniper's job is to kill without anyone knowing who did it or who was responsible, guess there's no point in doing this properly," she said and reached into her pocket.

He couldn't see what it was, but based off of what she did next, he was sure it was a single shell as she opened her pistol and inserted the single bullet. One bullet was all she needed. However, just because he liked this woman, didn't mean he was going to let her shoot him. If he was going to die, he was going to go down fighting.

She hadn't lifted her gun yet when she looked back up at him. Just in time to watch him reach into his jacket. She knew what he was reaching for. It had been a long time since she was in this kind of stand off.

"Just one more shot, and it's over and I will be leaving this wretched place forever," she told him as she lifted her gun and pointed it towards him.

"I'm afraid you won't be leaving," he said as he mirrored her actions. "However, if you abandon your mission and leave anyway, I can promise to do my part and keep Orochimaru off your back in exchange for sparring my life."

"Are you saying that you would even kill the owner of the Grand Sound and grant my freedom, just for not shooting you now?"

"Yes," he stated simply. "The Grand Sound will soon be vanquished, their only hope in defeating us was if the arsenal was eliminated, meaning me." He wasn't lying. Things were heating up between Akatsuki and Sound and both parties were getting sick of their squabbles. Just today, Sasori heard Pain declare the next fight would be the end of the Sound once and for all. There would be no point in her killing him if her employer wasn't going to be alive long enough to pay her. Surely, she understood that now. If not, he could end her life just as easily now. Sure, he'd regret it later, but he's had plenty of regrets in his life, one more won't make him any more tormented.

Sasori watched her closely. Her internal struggle was evident. He noticed her hand waver slightly. "Why do I have the feeling you want something else from me in return?" she finally asked.

His eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lies," she glared back.

Sasori sighed. This woman was impossible, he almost pulled the trigger right then, but then he thought of something. "Do you have any information on the Grand Sound? Anything you can give me would be more than enough in exchange," he said.

She lifted her chin has her arm finally descended. "I better not regret making this deal," she said. "Or you will pay dearly, even if I have to haunt you from the other side," she added and he smirked as he put his gun back in his jacket.

He stepped closer to her and leaned against the wall. "So, what have you got?"

"There's a man by the name of Kabuto that does all the dirty work, he's smart and calculating, and I don't like him," she said.

"Kabuto huh? I've heard of him, surprised he's still around, Orochimaru usually goes through right-hand men fairly quickly," Sasori commented.

"Orochimaru seems weak, he's old and I have yet to see him do anything, Kabuto does everything for him, however, I haven't seen Orochimaru much," she said.

Sasori closed his eyes. "He is over fifty by now… looks like that the stuff he's put in his body is finally catching up to him," he said mostly to himself. "If he's become so weak, that must be why he's trying to put us out of business once and for all, he been trying to take over this town for so long, he wants to do it before he dies," he said.

"Is there anything else you want to know?" she asked.

Sasori stood upright after pushing himself away from the wall. "Yes, what was the reason they told you for wanting me dead?" he asked.

He noticed how she looked down for a second. "He said it was revenge."

Sasori couldn't believe it. "What? _He _wants _revenge_ against _me_? I should want revenge against him! Do you have any idea how messed up my life is because of him?"

"Don't take it out on me, I don't even know his side of the story either," she glared, not liking the tone Sasori had just taken with her. "Believe it or not, but I'm actually on your side after meeting you."

Sasori looked at her. "Is that why you didn't shoot me when we first met?"

"Actually, I didn't even know who you were then, Kabuto has no idea what you look like so I was sent on a blind hunt," she said. "Each time we talked, the more I was on your side."

Sasori's eyebrow raised a bit. "Really? I've never really had anyone on my side before, what makes you so sure that's the right thing?"

"That's the frustrating thing, I just like you, you have a quality," she said stoically and he felt a little heat in his face. "The fact you didn't shoot me every time you've had the chance has been a good sign, even though you figured out who I was and what I was here for, why is that?"

Sasori scratched the top of his head as he thought for a moment before he dropped his hand and shrugged. "You drive me mad and I wanted to know why, can't find out if you're dead."

She put her free hand on her hip and smirked. "So you've got a little crush on me," she stated and he scoffed.

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm not a teenager, I don't crush on people," he frowned.

"You kind of look like a teenager," she continued to smirk.

Sasori sighed. "I know, and even though I don't have a problem with that myself, I don't like that people treat me like one sometimes, I'm too old for all that."

"And how old are you?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Probably twice as old as I look," he said and looked at her. She seemed fairly young, though she could be like him. "What about you? You look like you can't be older than twenty."

She shook her head. "Don't you know you aren't supposed to ask a woman her age?" she said coyly.

Sasori scoffed again, this time with a smirk. "That means you're older, no?"

"I'll give you that one," she said. "And if you say you don't crush on people, you know what that means right?" she asked as she leaned forward a little to make sure she caught his eye.

He rolled his eyes. "No, what does that mean?" he said almost sarcastically.

"You fell for me," she smirked, though this time it was a little more teasing and playful. Sasori's face flushed. He could feel it and she could see it. "Whoa, I was just kidding, but with the way you're blushing, it must be true," she said as she reached up and patted one side of his face.

Sasori felt himself turn redder when she got closer and then touched him. He really hated the fact he had blood at the moment. He also couldn't believe he was having this conversation at all. It only took a second for him to grab her wrist and to make her stop. "N-not!" he defended. "And what about you? You even said you liked me, could it be in _that_ way?" he countered.

He was shocked to see her pale cheeks suddenly flush a little too. "Don't be ridiculous, an assassin would never fall for their mark," she glared. Their eyes were already locked in a fierce intensity.

"That must mean you're not a very good one," he remarked. He only just noticed how close they were standing as he stared into the icy depths of her eyes and he became very aware of heat of her skin through the sleeve covering the wrist he was still holding. It might be because he was so sleep deprived, but he could already tell he was about to do something incredibly stupid.

"How dare you!" she began to lash out at his insult, but he suddenly yanked her closer, her body crashed against his own, as his lips descended upon hers.

She froze in shock. Her legs trembled slightly as she found it suddenly more difficult to stand. She struggled with what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to slap him? Kick him between the legs? Yell at him? Or kiss him back? It took a good two full seconds for her body to finally respond as her mind tugged her away from its own shock. She pushed against him as she pulled away and took a couple steps back.

He let go of her and lowered his head in shame. As he looked up slightly, he could see her backing away with her hand over her mouth. He knew he should be explaining himself, or apologizing, but all his mind could focus on was how sweet that tasted. It was like she not only smelled like sugar, but she was covered in it too or something.

Sasori covered his forehead with his hand. He couldn't think straight. When he opened his mouth to say something, anything, no words were spoken. He was speechless and at the same time, humiliated.

"What… was that for?" she finally asked as she looked back at him.

Sasori rubbed his forehead, trying to piece together an explanation that made sense to him, but he was so confused. In his scrambled thoughts, he briefly thought about trying it again and he immediately mentally slapped himself. When he finally met her eyes again, he simply shrugged and threw his arms out in exasperation.

"Sasori… maybe I should just go now," she said.

"Are you going to come back?" he asked. He actually wanted to ask her if he was going to see her again, but he wouldn't have an answer as to why.

"…No," she finally said and she began to turn as she was about to make her leave, but then she froze.

They both heard a scuff on the pavement in the shadows nearby. Sasori closed his eyes, feeling foolish. Here he was, in the heat of an eminent war, out in the open outside of the club instead of hidden away. It was a mistake and he should have known better than to go outside now of all times, but he was too focused on a woman. He might as well have painted a big red target on his back.

"Well, well, well," a smooth calculating voice finally spoke up as he stepped through the shadows. "You must be the notorious Sasori of the Red Sand, well done Red Raven, you did your job well…" As the man spoke, he finally lifted his head just enough for the lights to reflect off his glasses.

"Kabuto," she breathed and gripped her gun.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Cliff-hanger.

What do you think?

(Notes of spelling and grammar errors should only be through PM. Thank you for your cooperation on this request so far.)

_Facts about this story:_

I researched cars and guns of the era I'm basing this in, and I planned to go into more detail about it, but I figured no one would care or perhaps simply wouldn't understand, since it's mafia and guns, not exactly stuff you learn about in school. I try not to go into too much detail about how things look, because I used to do that and I considered it a flaw. You know, outfits, hair styles, room layouts, etc...

Sasori's age is somewhere in the 30-35 range, but he looks 15-17. This is because in the canon, that's how old he looks vs. his actual age. Though in this story, he's not a puppet, he just didn't visibly age much. And yes, I like to pick on him about it in this fic.

Just after writing this chapter, a 19-year-old guy at work kept asking how old I am, I couldn't resist telling him that he's not supposed to ask people their age. My friend who just proofed this chapter was standing next to me and smirking the whole time, because of this chapter and we had talked about the age thing earlier that day. He thinks I look 17, but knows I'm not a minor, and I kept being really nonchalant and saying that it was fine or I'm alright with that, causing the people listening to just laugh. Then he tried to guess my age and was still guessing too young, though he was close. I seem to shock people when I tell them my age, this includes by bosses, coworkers, and the guy that carded me in Vegas, but dude, if I'm old enough to drink, I'm old enough to gamble, not that I was holding a drink or anything, maybe I should've been. My friend also looks like a high-schooler, and I work with a 30-year-old woman that doesn't even look close to 30, but maybe 22-25. So I know very well that people can look much younger than they actually are.


	10. Revelations

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 10**

**Revelations**

The sun was only just beginning to set when Sasuke got home, he had slipped the key into the door and opened it expecting to be alone. Being alone for a while was something he actually rather enjoyed. Before he even closed the door behind him, his eyes landed on his brother tied to a chair at the table. Sasuke's eyes grew wide and he immediately looked around, looking for any kind of intruder. Seeing nothing, not a thing out of place, he began to carefully search each room. It didn't take long, the apartment was only meant for two so it wasn't big at all. There appeared to be nothing wrong. He was sure no one else was around.

Returning to his brother, Sasuke looked him over. He didn't appear to be hurt. "Itachi?" Sasuke tried, but his brother didn't respond. Sasuke's sharp eyes landed on the handcuffs around his brother's wrists behind the chair. He pulled on the chain a little, confirming they were secured on. He would have to find the handcuff key to get them off. Moving quickly, he tossed his book bag on the table, resulting in a loud thud, which startled Itachi awake.

"W-what?" Itachi blinked and looked around.

Sasuke quickly returned to his side. "You're awake, are you okay?"

Itachi calmed when he saw his younger brother. "…Dizzy," he said after a moment.

Sasuke sighed in relief, there were much worse symptoms than dizzy. "What happened?" he asked as he began to open drawers to look for the key.

"Huh?" Itachi looked down as he realized he couldn't move. His arms were bound behind him and his legs were unable to move. "What?" he didn't remember anything bad happening.

"I asked what happened," Sasuke repeated, thinking Itachi couldn't hear him.

"I heard you," Itachi muttered. "The last thing I remember… Suki… did she?" Many thoughts churned in his head, as foggy and scrabbled as they were, he was only able to have a few clear ones, mostly just of laughing and admiring her lips and eyes, nothing that was helpful now. "I don't know…"

Sasuke looked at him again. "You don't appear to have a head wound, but I will check more closely in a minute." Just then Sasuke found the key he had been looking for and got behind Itachi to release the cuffs.

As Itachi waited, his eyes scanned the table in front of him. Two placements of tea, his cup was empty, the other was not. There were playing cards laid out in front of him, scattered haphazardly where several were even on the floor. Then his eyes landed on something strange. There was a lip print on the Queen of Diamonds. He was sure that wasn't there before. As he thought more, Sasuke had already released his hands and was working on untying his ankles from the chair, a process that went a little more slowly with all the knots. Itachi's only conclusion on the print was that it came from Suki, the color matched what she had been wearing, but he had no idea why she would do such a thing yet.

"I think you were drugged," Sasuke said suddenly, his sober mind able to process everything much quicker. "You are not injured," he added. "Can you stand?"

Itachi let out a breath and began to stand, as soon as he did, the room began to tilt rapidly. He was able to catch himself from falling by supporting himself on the table. Sasuke was poised to catch him if needed.

Itachi took a couple breaths as his head became clearer, less cloudy. "Is anything missing?"

"What? No, nothing even looks out of place, I checked," Sasuke responded. "Any idea what happened to you now?"

"I think so, maybe she was hired by the Grand Sound to keep me away from the club, but I really hope I am incorrect…" Itachi said and stood straight. "What time is it?"

"Not that late, it's only just got dark out," Sasuke gestured the window with his chin.

Itachi growled a little. "I have to go, I'm late," he said harshly as he started for the door. "I will be back," he said as the door slammed behind him, causing his brother to flinch a little.

As the seconds passed, his head became clearer and clearer, however, his thoughts were still churning. He had no idea what to expect as he got in his car and started for Club Akatsuki.

Not even a minute away from the club, another car sped past him in the opposite direction. Itachi's keen eyes were able to catch a glimpse of someone inside in the passenger seat. The headlights reflected off his glasses and an almost manic grin was plastered to his pale face. "Damn it! Kabuto!" Itachi cursed as he hurried to the club. It better still be there when he arrived.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set when Kabuto had appeared in the back alley. Everything happened so fast. There was no time to think. As time seemed to slow down, Kabuto raised a pistol with the intent to take aim at Sasori. There was nowhere to duck and cover. It was going to be a stand off that would end in murder.

Even the wind stood still.

The Akatsuki's club was still under lockdown as they waited for the Grand Sound to makes its move. They were not expecting anything to happen at sunset, before it was even completely dark. No one was watching the alleyway yet. There would be no bystanders, aside from the Red Raven, who had just switched sides when Sasori promised her safety in exchange for not assassinating him. He knew there could be no guarantee that she would remain on his side in these moments.

Sasori saw the shining gleam of a silver and white pistol as Kabuto took aim. There was no room to admire the weapon as his own hand was already reaching for his own pistol tucked away in his jacket.

It was going to be too late, he wouldn't be able to get his weapon out in time, and Kabuto was surely an excellent shot.

The shots were heard. Sasori didn't feel anything as he somehow lost his balance and fell to the ground. However, as he fell, he saw Kabuto drop his gun and clutch his arm. Sasori cringed as he collided with the pavement. His arms and one of his knees were surely scraped up and his shoulder was going to be darkly bruised.

When Sasori finally looked up from his place on the ground, he could see the Red Raven standing there with her pistol still aimed at Kabuto. He could hardly believe she saved him. What she said next was even more confusing.

"I don't let others do my job for me, I don't need your help," she said with an icy bitterness.

"You bitch!" Kabuto cursed as he continued to clutch his bleeding arm where she shot him. His voice lost its intelligent slyness. "How could you say that when you are obviously on his side now?"

"It is still my job until I complete the mission, or quit," she said. "And now I quit," she added. After a moment she pulled the trigger of her pistol again, but nothing happened and her eyes narrowed further. She had only the one bullet, which was now imbedded in Kabuto's arm.

Kabuto smirked. "Out of ammo already? Good," he said. "You are fired anyway, I knew my boss should not have trusted a woman…"

"Either way, it now appears my contract is nullified," she said as she lowered her empty weapon as she looked at Sasori. "Did it miss you? Were you able to dodge it?" she asked as she kneeled down. There was no blood in sight.

Sasori began to sit up when a couple small gears fell out of his pants at the ankle. "Crap, it broke my leg," he muttered.

Raven saw the gears on the ground. "What? Broke it? You're not even bleeding."

"Get the others, I can't let Kabuto get away, call on them for help," he said quickly.

"Can you stand?" she tried.

"No, just go!" he snapped and she stood up to run to the back door of the club. It wasn't far away at all. As it swung back open and she disappeared inside, Kabuto began to chuckle darkly as he backed away.

Sasori glared at him before attempting to stand, only for his leg to bend awkwardly and for him to lose his balance and collide with the pavement again. "You're not getting away!" Sasori shouted as Kabuto began to run, leaving a trail of blood as he went. Sasori had to shuffle on the ground to get his pistol the rest of the way out of its holster in his jacket and take aim as he released the safety.

He shot into the darkness twice when he heard a yelp and a thud. With a couple seconds to spare, he adjusted his position and was able to sit up, balancing on his knees to peer into the darkened alleyway as he tried to be ready for anything. His breathing was slightly labored, but he was focused enough to listen to everything else.

There was a scuff down the alley behind him. He closed his eyes and released a slow breath and then turned and fired his gun two more times. Hitting at least one person based on the cry. He didn't even consider the chance of accidentally hitting a pedestrian or bystander. The attack was already happening, just on a much smaller scale than they had been prepared for. With a small group of elite fighters, more damage could be done before the Akatsuki had the chance to fight back.

Sasori knew he didn't have many shots left. He couldn't even remember how full he loaded his sidearm beforehand. Extra ammo was scarce as it was and he was not intended to be a frontline shooter so he focused on making sure everyone else's weapons were completely loaded and ready.

As he squinted to see into the shadows, he heard a soft whistle, as if something was flying through the air. Before he got a moment to think about it, he was forcibly against the ground, arms bound and something digging into his skin tightly.

"Got him! Now hurry up!" someone shouted a whisper.

Sasori hadn't lost his grip on his gun and turned his body again, shooting one more time from the hip where his arm was bound. He heard another cry and then a thud.

"Shit!" the same person from before started and then ran out of the shadows. Before Sasori could get a good look at him he saw a pistol coming towards his head as he was about to be struck there. He felt it for a moment before everything went black.

* * *

Just as Pain, Deidara, Tobi, and Hidan stormed through the door, they heard the roar of a car driving away. Tobi ran to the end of the alley just in time to see which way the vehicle turned before snapping his fingers in frustration and turning back to the others that were already examining the mess on the ground.

They found various amounts of blood in different places and some odd gears and broken wires in another. Zetsu ran to the alleyway and went straight to Pain.

"A note was left in front of the door," he informed and gave it to Pain.

He began to read it aloud. "We're taking what is ours. You will not see tomorrow." There was the Grand Sound emblem at the bottom of the page. They weren't going to bother hiding who they were, they didn't need to. Suddenly, Pain crumbled up the paper and threw it at the wall. "It's a challenge… if they want pain they will know true pain," Pain said darkly.

"What are you suggesting, Boss?" Deidara said as he picked up the gears and wire off the ground.

"We're going to Grand Sound," he said and turned briskly on his heel as he went back inside. "And Deidara," he began so Deidara ran to catch up. "Stay out of the fire fight, but do what you do best…" he said and Deidara grinned.

"You can count on me, Boss," he said and ran downstairs.

As Pain stormed back into the club room, he surprised Kisame, Konan, and the Red Raven. "You," he looked pointedly at the woman in black. "I know who you are," he began. "Will you work for me?"

"Are you going to fight the Sound? Orochimaru?" she asked and he nodded slightly. "Count me in."

"What happened?" Konan asked as she came up beside Pain.

Pain was about to speak when there was a loud knock at the door, causing everyone to pause and ready themselves. Zetsu looked at Pain, who nodded, so Zetsu moved back to the door and cracked it open before opening it for everyone to see as the person on the other side stepped in. Itachi wasted no time as he came in.

"I just saw Kabuto, what happened?" Itachi began. He noticed the unfamiliar brunette dressed in black, but didn't question it even though he was sure he recognized her. There were more important things to worry about at the moment.

"The Sound prepared a sneak attack and captured Sasori while leaving us a challenge. If we don't take initiative and fight back right now, they have something prepared before sunrise, probably a real siege, they're hoping we're running around without a clue, and I'm not going to risk my members being picked off one by one in more sneak attacks," Pain explained. "We have prepared for this, it's time for it to rain," he said and everyone nodded in understanding.

"Was Sasori able to finish?" Itachi asked.

"You bet, with my help of course," Deidara boasted as he ran back in, holding a wooden box labeled with 'danger' on the side.

Itachi nodded. "My car is just outside, whoever is riding with me, get in once you are armed."

Pain looked at Zetsu and motioned for Konan to follow. "I want the two of you to stay behind and hold the fort."

"Where's Kakuzu?" Hidan asked.

"Hopefully out of town by now, someone has to protect the assets," Konan explained.

"That doesn't leave many left to launch an attack with, the Sound already has a greater number of followers," Hidan sighed.

Pain's eyes shifted towards the Red Raven. "That's why she is coming with us, if the Red Raven is all she is made up to be, then I am confident we have made up for our losses," he said.

"I hope you're right, Boss," Hidan said.

"Think we can trust her?" Deidara said as he glared at the woman. She glared right back and he looked away.

Pain didn't respond and went downstairs again, and Itachi and Kisame followed him. Hidan and Deidara looked at each other for a second before their eyes landed on the Red Raven. She let out a small sigh before meeting their gazes with much softer eyes than she had been.

"I promised him that I wouldn't hurt his friends," she said and then followed Pain too.

Deidara opened his mouth to say something, but she was already gone, so he turned to Hidan instead. "Promise? What?"

Konan answered instead. "She must have promised Sasori that everyone would be safe from her."

Hidan's eyes widened. "Wait, but wasn't she here to kill…" Konan shrugged and turned away before he could finish.

"Why don't you ask her?" Konan said as she disappeared.

"Whatever, my man," Deidara said as he carefully shifted the box in his arms. "We should get ready to move out too." Deidara knew a little more about Sasori than most did, but even he had no idea what was really going on with him and the Red Raven. As much as he liked to tease the red-head, he didn't really care to know the truth, since he already had the feeling she was supposed to kill him. However, that obviously didn't matter now.

After they were done loading up and gathering their extra weapons, they got into their cars and headed out. Itachi was driving his, with Kisame in the passenger seat, and the Red Raven and Deidara in the back. The wooden box was secured to the space between them in the back. The assassin tried her best not to even touch the box at all cost, even while Deidara used it as an armrest.

"Hey, Itachi?" Deidara asked as Itachi drove through the streets, taking odd turns and side roads in case anyone was watching for them in the more obviously places.

"What is it?"

"Heard you had a date earlier tonight, what took you so long to get to the club my man?" Deidara asked seriously. Even if Itachi was romantically involved with somebody, he was always so responsible and focused no matter what, it was unusual for Itachi to show up as late as he did.

"I was wondering the same thing," Kisame said when Itachi was silent.

"My brother thinks I was drugged, he found me unconscious and tided up," Itachi said. "I don't know what happened at the end of my date," he added and cast a glance at the assassin the back seat through the mirror. She noticed and looked away. "You wouldn't happen to know anything would you?"

Deidara and Kisame looked at the Red Raven before she answered. "Why would I know anything about that?"

"I remember you now, you were around her often, both in the club and at that diner," Itachi retorted.

"That doesn't mean we talk about what we do on our free time," she said. "You think I go around telling my coworkers about what else _I_ do."

"Touché," Itachi remarked. "Can you at least answer one thing?"

"Depends on if I have an answer," she said coldly.

"Was she really interested in me, or was she using me for something else?" he asked.

Raven closed her eyes and remained silent, causing Deidara to give her a looked of bewilderment.

"I see," Itachi said.

"What? See what? That didn't answer your question!" Deidara whined, but she looked out the window, Itachi focused on driving, and Kisame shook his head. "What's going on?" he tried again.

"We're almost there, be prepared to take cover and do your job," Itachi snapped and the blond wisely silenced. "One more thing, was she working for Orochimaru?"

"No," she answered. "She wouldn't be able to work for a man like him anyway, she may have made some risky decisions in her life, but she wouldn't cause anyone any real harm."

Itachi was silent for a few seconds. "Guess I still need to talk to her to put my mind as ease the next time I see her."

The Red Raven shrugged and looked out the window. "I know one thing for sure, she likes you, a lot," she said, but Itachi didn't answer.

The Grand Sound was oddly quiet as they drove by. There should have at least been a doorman waiting outside. Itachi parked a block away, when he looked over, the Red Raven was already gone.

"Where is she going?" he asked the blond man who was carefully opening up the box in the car.

"I heard her mutter something about finishing her business or something of the sort," he answered. "I don't know, or care, if she's so capable I would rather let her do most of the work for us."

"Just try not to blow up the place too early," Kisame warned. "Boss won't be pleased if he loses too many."

"Yeah, yeah," Deidara rolled his eyes just as another car pulled up next to them.

Pain got out and stood near Itachi. "It's too quiet," he said.

Itachi nodded slowly. "The calm before the storm?" he suggested.

Pain nodded as well. "You all know what to do, it is time to move out, we're not done until this place is toast or we are dead, God's speed."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

This fic is almost done. Only a few more chapters to go. It was going to be longer, the other guys were going to be more involved, and at least one more arc included, but I'm not really into it anymore and the readers were never that into it, so I'm ready to move on to other fics.

(Notes about spelling and grammar should be by PM only, thank you.)


	11. Revelations II

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 11**

**Revelations II**

Sasori began to come to. He couldn't see anything at first when his eyes opened. Was there someone crying? He could hear someone sniffle and make small gasps as if they were. Was it a child? As his body awakened, he made sure to move slowly. Turned out he had been facing a wall and as soon and he turned around from his place on the ground, he could see much more in the dull light. He appeared to be in a prison cell that was barred on all sides besides the solid wall he had been facing. There weren't any windows, just a couple hanging light bulbs in what appeared to be the walkway outside the cell.

On the other side of the bars to his left, he could see another person in another cell. It was obviously a woman upon further observation. Other than her, there was no one else around. Her small snobs nearly echoed in the dark room despite being very quiet. Sasori tried to stand, but quickly realized his leg was gone and he had nothing else to support himself. With a little bit of effort, he can stand just find on one good leg, but he wouldn't be able to get far like that, so he remained seated after simply shifting himself to lean against the wall. He noticed his jacket and gun were missing as soon as the coldness of the wall seeped through his white button-down. Typical.

His eyes landed on the woman again. She was wearing a classy gown, something women would wear around the club or for a night on the town. Her golden hair was a bit messed up as it hung freely down her back. Whatever happened to her must have been very recent just like him.

"Are you alright?" he asked the weeping woman.

She wiped her eyes and turned towards him. "I'm… not hurt," she finally said.

"Where are we?"

She shook her head, "I am not sure, but I think they called it the Sound," she answered.

Sasori nodded. He remembered what happened up until he was knocked out, so he knew why he was here. It wasn't that hard to guess why he wasn't killed right away either. He would bet anything that's why Kabuto was sent after him too, to try to get him alive if possible, even though dead worked just as well for Orochimaru. They had another thing coming if they thought he'd work here ever again. Sasori supposed that meant he should expect to die soon, possibly tortured first, but he was certainly at death's doorstep.

"Why are you here?" he asked after looking at the woman a little longer.

"Because I'm stupid… moronic," she said with regret.

"Did you betray Orochimaru?" Sasori guessed.

"Never met the man," she said. "I got involved with the wrong person, and they think they can use me as bait or something, but they don't know what I did to him, he's never going to come for me… no one is…"

"I see…" Sasori said, trying to understand the woman's cryptic story. "You know… you seem familiar, ever been to the Akatsuki?"

She nodded. "I was there a few times recently," she answered.

"That must be it," he said. "I play the piano there."

"I think I remember you…" she said.

Sasori shrugged. "I'm a dead man soon, care to trade names? I am Sasori."

She tilted her head at him for a moment. "I'm Suki. Guess I'm as good as dead too, right?"

"Wish I could tell you otherwise," he said and they were silent for a bit. "So you must know Hidan, right?"

Suki shook her head. "I do not think I have never made his acquaintance."

Sasori was surprised by that. "Really? What did you do in the club then?"

"I played cards," she answered.

"With Uchiha? Wait… are you the one the guys were talking about? The one Uchiha had a date with tonight?"

She nodded and Sasori's jaw fell for a moment and then he remembered what else she had said. "What… did you do to him?" he asked quietly.

"Can I confess something?" she asked.

"My foot's already in the grave," he said. "Figuratively and literally," he said and lifted his short limb to prove it. "Go on," he told her.

She took a breath. "I'm a grifter, I was out to rob him, but the whole thing turned out to be a bust since I only take from folks that won't notice when a little is gone… but Itachi, he… doesn't have a lot and if I had taken from him, I know I how guilty I wouldn't have been. He's different than the rest. Even so, after the way I left him there, he'd never forgive me, not that I think he should."

Sasori shifted uncomfortably. He didn't really know Itachi all that well, so hearing what a woman thought about him, with obvious feelings for him too, it wasn't a situation Sasori thought he would ever be in. "He's an odd one."

Suki looked at him and suppressed a smile at his uneasiness from hearing about his colleague. "Aren't you a bit odd too?"

Sasori huffed a small laugh. "Understatement, I'm anomalous in every definition of the word."

"Well, I supposed I'm odd too," Suki said. "Just look at the hot water I got myself into."

Sasori sighed. He thought he should give his young woman some sort of hope. There was a little bit, and even it turned out to be a lie, it wouldn't matter in the end anyway. "If I know the Akatsuki, which I'd like to think I do, they'll be here, and there's a chance they'll rescue you if you tell them you're a citizen and you know Uchiha," he offered.

"Itachi's not going to vouch for me now, not after what I did."

"Better to face Uchiha's judgment than Orochimaru's," Sasori countered and Suki fell silent.

It wasn't long until they heard muffled yet loud bangs above them followed by some yelling. Seconds later, a woman with reddish hair stormed in and violently opened Suki's cell. "Com'on, it's time for the bait," she said harshly as she stepped in and yanked Suki to her feet and quickly handcuffed her wrists behind her and tied some sort of cloth around her head to cover her mouth. Suki stumbled as she was shoved out the door.

Sasori sighed, feeling sorry for the girl. She was probably going to be use as bait and killed anyway in the process, considering she had wronged Itachi, the Uchiha might not be so quick to rescue her if he got here in time at all. There was no time to worry about her, he still had himself to look after. After rubbing his shortened leg he found that the attachment was still secured in place around his thigh. The rest must have broken off, or was taken. Either way, he wouldn't be able to get far on just one foot. He checked his other leg by slowly pulling up the pant leg, his knee was sore and throbbed slightly in pain when he touched it. Just as he thought, there was a fresh bruise there.

In his younger days, he had been able to walk on his hands. However, he hadn't even tried that in years. Not to mention one of his shoulders was in a darker state of bruising than his knee upon closer inspection. Fantastic, now he had to wait for something to happen. He glared at the wall at that realization and thought about how much he hated waiting.

* * *

Itachi pulled out his trusted weapons, dual pistols named the Sharingan, he was deadly accurate with them. He focused on covering Deidara while the blond man secured odd brick sized objects as they moved around the outside of the building. Itachi could hear the crashes inside as well as shouts and gunfire.

Very carefully, Itachi peeked into a window and was shocked by what he saw. Based on the sounds, it sounded like Kisame, Hidan, Tobi, and Pain should have been in there, when in fact, it was only the Red Raven. Not only was she shooting Sound members, she was fighting them as well.

One man ran at her, desperate to slow her down, but he only ended up getting a high kick in the jaw that sent him falling back, but not before she liberated both his pistols and started firing again at people hiding behind the bar and around tables. They shot at her as well, but she kept moving. Itachi wasn't sure if a single bullet hit her. When the man she kicked started to get back up, she shoved the pistol she took from him into his mouth, said something, and then killed him if the fearsome red spray coming out the back of his head was anything to go by and then she threw that gun away.

"Holy sh-," Itachi ducked down again as Deidara began to move.

"Are we winning?" Deidara asked hopefully.

"Um… I think I can say yes, but I did not see any of our guys in there," Itachi explained.

"What? Where are they?" Deidara questioned.

"They must have spread out, covering the upper floors," Itachi said. "The Red Raven… it's like a rampage in there…"

"…I don't even want to look if even you're shaken up…" Deidara shrank back.

"Glad she's on our side," Itachi muttered and Deidara chuckled slightly as he agreed and then it suddenly got quiet inside. Itachi hesitated before he peaked through the window again. He saw that someone must have come up behind her, because a large man had put his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. The man seemed unfazed by her struggles and Itachi could tell that it was becoming very hard for her to breath. Taking a breath himself, he lifted his gun and took aim through the window. The Sharginan never failed him before, and they continued to serve him as a bullet pierced the glass and punctured the man's forehead.

As soon as his grip on her released, the Red Raven fell to the ground and struggled to catch her breath at first. When she got to her knees, she nodded in thanks to Itachi right before he ducked back down.

"How many more?" Itachi asked Deidara as he kept a look out for anyone that might target them.

"Just a handful out here, then I have to get inside," the blond answered. Just then someone landed on the ground nearby, causing both men to jump in alertness. In the darkness, it took them a second to realize the other person was already dead.

"Sorry!" Someone yelled from above and they looked up to find Hidan waving at them before disappearing back inside and several gunshots were heard.

Itachi pushed the dead man to the wall and leaned them upward to rest against the wall. They don't need the police to suddenly decide to investigate when there was someone laying in a broken heap on the ground. When Itachi looked back, he saw some shadows running out from behind the building. Following his instinct, he peeked around the corner and peered through the darkness. He instantly recognized Suki being dragged into another building. Just like the Akatsuki, the Sound had a small warehouse next door.

"They're trying to get away," Itachi told Deidara and didn't wait for a response before he took off to chase after the escapers. Deidara knew what he was doing and could watch is own back for the last few.

Itachi carefully snuck inside, fully prepared for an ambush if there was one. It was completely dark and he couldn't make out much of anything. He then heard Suki's muffled voice yelp somewhere in the warehouse, but it echoed and he couldn't pin down the source location.

He remembered his training from back home and made his breath silent, his eyes focused in the dark, his ears tuned into every wisp of noise, and his body relaxed and ready. Every step was careful and silent. He was waiting something, anything to happen.

There was a loud creak towards the back of the warehouse. It must have been a door. Perhaps is was actually the building itself responding to the wind. Either way, he had to check it out. He swiftly and silently made his way through the warehouse, moving along aisles of crates and containers of unknown materials. Both pistols ready to go in his hands.

Finally, he saw a stream of light from a barely open door. He paused, but decided to continue even though he knew it was likely going to be a trap. Something had to be done.

Boldly, he kicked open the door and immediately saw Suki tied up, sitting on her knees, while Kabuto stood behind her with a silvery white pistol pointed into the side of her head. His eyes locked with Suki's. Itachi could see the redness in them. He tried to tell himself that her tears had to be fake, that she was a part of the trap to lure him here from the beginning, but a part of him knew that she was in real distress. His eyes shifted up to Kabuto who was smirking with an clearly insane look behind his round glasses.

"Welcome," Kabuto's voice shook as he said it. That was when Itachi noticed Kabuto's right arm was hanging at his side with a bloody bandage wrapped around it.

"Looks like someone already beat me to you," Itachi addressed Kabuto.

His smirk grew wider. "The Red Raven is not as good as I thought to miss like this," Kabuto stated. "I suggest you drop the gun, Uchiha, unless you want your wench to meet her untimely end…"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "You are slipping, Kabuto, your research has failed you. I have to reason to save anyone here," he said coldly. Suki closed her eyes. She wasn't able to say anything with the cloth tied around her head and covering her mouth.

"Even if that was true on any level, you are too righteous, Uchiha, you would never let an innocent human die right in front of you," Kabuto threatened as he released the safety on his pistol to make that distinct click.

"I can assure you, everyone in this room has crimes to pays for…" There was an icy bite to his tone.

"Oh-ho, I know all about your crimes, Uchiha," Kabuto grinned. "You had it all, or you could have, you were the perfect protégé, but then you murdered your own father-"

"Shut up," Itachi barked.

"Disgraced and disowned, forced to run away with nothing all the way to the only place no one could find you, to start over in the darkest, nastiest place where you would continue to be a disgrace to your name!"

"Shut up!"

"Still act so noble and everyone feared you anyway because you proved to be cold and capable of killing your own kin!"

"I said shut up!" Itachi shouted and raised both his pistols, but when his arms were only halfway up, before he could take aim, he heard another distinct click. This time, it was the safety being released right next to his ear. He silently cursed himself. Without releasing it, he stepped into the room, just on the other side of the door, and there had been someone waiting over to the side, who now held a gun to his head.

"I don't think I have to, Uchiha," Kabuto sneered. "In fact, I don't even have to listen to anything you tell me."

"You…"

"Oh hush," he said and lowered the gun from Suki's head. "One wrong word out of you and you're done for." Kabuto then nodded to someone on the other side of the room. Itachi watched through the corner of his eye as that person stood to his other side and held up another gun to his head. "Since I won't make the mistake of taking you lightly, it'll be impossible for you to do anything until I get what I want from you."

"What do you even want?" Itachi glared.

"My master is running out of time and wants a protégé."

"I already turned him down a long time ago," Itachi said.

Kabuto chuckled. "Orochimaru has long set his sights on something of far greater value… your family's greatest asset, your little brother." Suki made a noise of surprise while Itachi opened his mouth to deny him instantly, but Kabuto halted him. "However, my master knows all too well that if you did not agree to it, that first all trust in you would have to be poisoned and everything you stand for would have to crumble."

"What makes you think I would agree to something like that? Sasuke would never go with the likes of you…"

"Oh? Are you sure there's no chance you would agree? It would make everything so much easier on everyone if you did, including your precious brother. I would also spare your life, and hers of course…"

Itachi was rendered silent. He knew what the stakes were. However, Even if Itachi agreed in order to spare everyone's life and reduce the mental scarring Sasuke would have to endure, there was no guarantee that Sasuke would agree to it either. Kabuto probably already thought of that and was going to poison Sasuke's opinion of Itachi and lure him in.

"The clock is ticking, Uchiha," Kabuto warned. "Will you give up here? The answer should be obvious."

"What makes you think Sasuke would ever…"

"I can assure you, that is the easy part," Kabuto said. "Getting him out of your clutches is another matter, if it was just up to me, you would already be dead."

Itachi gritted his teeth. There seemed to be no way out of this. Attacking Kabuto would only result in him getting shot by either of the gun already pointed at him head. He might be able to attack the people standing on either side of him, but there was still Kabuto and Suki to worry about. Kabuto would kill her and him in only a second if he was busy defending against the other two.

"I see you've realized how hopeless your situation is," Kabuto started. "Agree or die, the result is the same for us either way, so it doesn't really matter what you choose."

That Kabuto, he was enjoying this. Just when Itachi was going to attempt to go down fighting, something none of them expected happened. In an instant, Kabuto was falling backwards and his head hit the wall behind him, causing him to fall unconscious. Even though she was tied up, Suki had used all the strength she had to shove Kabuto away from her. While the two goons were stunned from their surprise for a brief instant, Itachi used that opening to duck below their guns and then shoot both of them at the same time with his.

He stood there for a moment, making sure no one moved or showed signs they were alive. Letting out a breath, he lowered his guns and then placed them in their hostlers in his jacket. Then he ran over to Suki, who was laying on the ground, since she couldn't get up from her position being tied up.

Itachi quickly untied her and she was able to sit up as she removed the cloth from her mouth. "Itachi, I'm sorry," she said instantly and he paused. He was still kneeling on the ground next to her.

"It doesn't matter right now," he tried as he avoided looking at her.

"Yes, it does," she insisted. "But…" she sighed and looked at the floor. "Thank you."

Itachi finally looked at her again. "For what?"

Suki met his eyes. "For saving me… even though I don't deserve to be saved after what I did to you…"

His heart skipped a beat, that sinking feeling in his chest evident as he felt guilty. It scared him how much his emotions could flip-flop around this woman. "It could have been worse… don't worry about it," he tried. "Are you injured? Can you stand?" he asked.

She nodded and she stood up. "We should get to safety," she said and he nodded.

"But first I have to protect my family," he said and turned to look at Kabuto, who was still unconscious, there was a lot of blood staining his white hair. "He'll be lucky if wakes up after an injury like that," Itachi said as he stepped up to Kabuto and picked up his white pistol from the floor. "It's time release this slave from the snake's bind." With two shots in the chest, Itachi ensured that Kabuto would never wake up again.

Still holding the gun, Itachi saw Suki looking away with hands over her ears. He tapped her shoulder to get her to open her eyes and then silently took her hand and pressed the gun into it until she took hold of it. Then he took her other hand to lead her away from what was now a bloody crime scene. If time allowed, Zetsu would dispose of the bodies after everything was over before the law could get involved.

"…You're really dangerous, aren't you?" Suki began as they went through the warehouse.

"…Yes, but so are you, am I right?"

"I… not like that," she said.

"What are you, exactly? Were you ever working for him?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "I'm just a grifter, I manipulate and steal a little bit at time, everything I told you about myself earlier was the truth, I have dreams to reach for too… and I'm sorry I misled you."

"The Red Raven," Itachi began and Suki looked up at him. "Said you really do like me…"

Suki blushed and nodded. "She's here?"

Itachi nodded. "If Deidara isn't in sight anymore, I'm taking you back to my car and you will wait there, understand?" he instructed, and she nodded. "When this is over, I want to talk to you, no games."

Suki looked him in the eye and found them to be very serious. "No games, I promise," she said.

When they got outside, Itachi looked around and finally led Suki away from the area and to his car. Luckily, they didn't run into anyone on the way. He opened the door for her and she got inside. "Try to stay hidden, but keep a look out, if someone attacks you, use that," he said as he gesture the gun still in her hand.

"Okay," her voice shook.

"Do you know how to use it?" he asked and she nodded.

"Raven taught me," she said and Itachi's eyebrow rose.

"I'm impressed you have been so calm through all of this, I just killed three people right in front of you, most women would be scared frozen and in tears," he commented.

"I was in tears before, but mostly over my own stupidity," she said.

"I supposed you're not like a lot women," he said offhandedly.

"You're not like most men either," she said and he looked away.

"Yeah, well…"

"I would have never guessed your family's greatest asset was your little brother," she began. "You really believe him to be an asset?"

"I believe Sasuke is the key to a better future for the family, one that can end the hatred and right the wrongs, that's why I'm trying to raise him to be a true man," Itachi said as he looked up at the sky. "He will know of all the horrible things in the world, and that he should strive for better, that he should want others to live better. If Sasuke grows into the right mindset, one of integrity where he doesn't want to see anyone suffer ever again, then soon he will be able to return home and mend what has been broken and set things right for a better future."

"That's a lot to put on the kid," Suki remarked.

Itachi smirked at that. "He can handle it," he said and began to step away. "I need to get back, wait here," he said and she ducked down and out of sight.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

First of all, thank you for reading and supporting so far. I really do appreciate it, and I honestly didn't expect anyone to actually read or respond to my last author's note. It was mainly a heads up that the end is approaching, because I like it when other writers warn me, so I try to do the same.

I think I need to explain my last note further: Shortly before I started posting, I found myself in a full mental and physical low. Since I spent months preparing this fic before I posted, it was simply discouraging to get few visitors and no reviews after working so long, but that _isn't_ the core of my problem. This story is already longer than planned, so by removing an arc, I am only eliminating about 4 chapters, which will be alluded to in the epilogue. Mainly, I wanted to be done a month ago and work on other stories. I'm already writing 3 other stories, which I'm becoming more invested in. Due to real life's preoccupations, I've been limiting myself to posting one story at a time to avoid hating myself for doing what I hate about fanfiction, which is leaving stories incomplete. I'm not going to let months go by and only _maybe_ come back to it, because let's face it, writers hardly ever come back from a break. Even though I'm kind of done with this story since I already know what happens and how it ends, I'll still write it out, because I said I will always finish. Even though I'm working on my other stories on the side, this one needs to be finished first. Hope that makes sense. TLDR.

(Grammar and spelling corrections should be pointed out through PM only, thank you.)


	12. One Finger Is All I Need

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 12**

**One Finger Is All I Need**

Sasori could hear all kinds of commotion happening above him. The Sound must have known he wasn't able to go anywhere, because he was left alone and it would have been a perfect opportunity to try to escape. Missing a leg made it pretty hard to run and there was nothing around to serve as a balance. The only goons he did see stayed far away from him. Probably a smart choice on their part, Sasori was still considered very dangerous even without a weapon. He was strong enough to kill with his bare hands if he had to, and cunning enough to use mere threads as his weapon.

At that thought, a memory flashed into his mind of corpses dangling from pipes at the ceiling with strong flexible wire threads wrapped around their necks and wrists. Blood dripped from their wounds and a teenaged Sasori stood nearby with the wires wrapped around his gloved hands as he panted and used his own body weight as leverage. With a simple rotation on his arms, he released the wires and each of the dead bodies felt to the floor limply, the puddles of their own blood slashed violently, managing to splash an otherwise clean Sasori. It was right then, he heard someone clapping behind him. When he turned around, he saw what appeared to be a very rich man with pale skin, long black hair, and a violet trench coat draped from his shoulders, while a matching fedora sat on his head.

"Damn Orochimaru and his schemes," Sasori muttered at the memory. He combed back his hair with his fingers and closed his eyes as he let out an exasperated sigh. Even though he may not be defenseless, he still felt useless. Fighting back, gathering intelligence, anything would make him feel better about getting captured. Fate did not seem to work in his favor.

"Sasori!" someone shouted and he jumped as he snapped his eyes open to see who was there all of a sudden.

"It's you!" he exclaimed at the Red Raven. She hadn't made a sounds as she came in, and he was sure that the door was fairly loud on its own.

"I'm getting you out here," she said, she was already working on the lock with a small pick that appeared to be a hairpin.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Your leader hired me… I was actually looking for Orochimaru when I found you, but it's all the same in my mission," she explained.

"I meant above, is the rest of the Akatsuki here?"

She glanced at him for a moment, noting his lack of movement. "Most of them, from what I gathered one is away with your accounting books, and a couple others stayed behind to protect the base," she explained. "Mr. Uchiha came just in time to join the fight you leader headed."

"Orochimaru must be slipping a lot, he used to be a lot more discreet in his planning," Sasori remarked.

"Perhaps he still is, but his right-hand man appears to have a lot of say," she said as she continued to work.

That's when Sasori noticed something rather alarming. "You're bleeding."

She simply nodded. "Don't remind me, it hurts a lot, but can't dodge everything, well, not when it comes to bullets," she said with something akin to humor in her tone.

"You're insane…"

"Nice to know, Mister Perfect," she said.

"I am far from perfect," he countered.

"Then don't pass judgment on me, you don't even know me," she glared.

Sasori opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when he realized she was right. He didn't want to let her win, but he knew that was just his male ego getting the better of him. Now was not the time to let such nonsense control his thinking. She was powerful, and in this world, that was all that mattered. One could be a man, woman, adult, teenager, or even a child and still hold power or be dangerous to others.

"What? No smart retort?" she challenged.

"No," Sasori's eyes cast downward. "This is no time for our games," he added.

Just then, the lock popped open and she smirked at him. "Well, that wasn't so hard," she said and opened the cell door.

"So much good it'll do you, I can't escape in my condition," he explained and gestured his limb.

She closed her eyes as she thought. "At least one of the others should check down here soon, and together we can get you out of here," she said as she kneeled down near him. "Other than that, are there any other problems or injuries?"

"Just minor," he said. "I can't say the same about you," he added as he eyes a dark wet spot on her side.

"…It's just a graze," she said and stood up. As soon as she was back on her feet, she dropped to a kneel again and closed her eyes as she took long deep breaths.

"I think it's more serious than you realize, we should at least get the bleeding to slow down while we can, it could be an hour before someone else gets down here, and that wound can't wait that long," he said.

"It's going to have to wait, there's nothing I can do about it right now," she said as her hand moved to the wound, but stopped before touching it and pulled her hand away again. "Like I said, it's just a graze, it could have been worse…"

Sasori sighed and then looked up at the dark ceiling and listened again. It was quiet. Whatever had been going on up there had moved elsewhere. "Why are you not with them?" he asked suddenly.

Without saying anything, the brunette woman raised her pistol to the ceiling and pulled the trigger twice. It was empty. "I am normally just a sniper, I don't carry much ammunition in general," she explained.

Sasori nodded and leaned forward as he reached into his jacket. "Good, they didn't take it…" he said as he removed a roll of fabric. "Use this as gauze, you're dripping blood now," he insisted.

She stared at the item. Then wordlessly, she began removing her black top. Sasori looked away instantly as she did so, but when he glanced back, he found she was wearing another top underneath, which she simply lifted up enough to reveal her wound and inspect it. It was an ugly gash in her side. They didn't need to say anything, after she moved closer to him, they both got the fabric wrapped tightly around her. The makeshift bandage turned red with blood quickly, but they both noticed the stain grew at a slower and slower rate.

"Thanks," she said and he only nodded in response as he watch her fully dress again. It only took a second and then she sat near him as she also leaned against the wall. "What is this for?" she asked as she pointed to her side, meaning the bandage.

Sasori stared blankly ahead of him instead of looking at her. "In case a strap breaks on my leg."

"…How did that happen? Losing your leg, I mean," she asked.

"Stepped on a landmine during the last great war, I was basically still a kid when it happened… I almost didn't make it until someone found me," he explained.

"Who?"

Sasori glared into the darkness. "I'm sure you can guess…" he muttered.

"I see," she said. "You know… I once had a friend that got caught in a landmine, they weren't as lucky."

"Sometimes I question if it was lucky." His gaze dropped. "I don't even know what I was thinking back then, not just about joining the war, but I should have seen the landmine, it's wasn't like me to miss something like that. It was a screw up that I've paid for the rest of my life…"

She put a hand on his shoulder and he finally looked at her again. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but he still felt tense whenever he looked into those icy eyes. Even when they were warm, they were still cold. He looked away again.

"So what should I call you anyway? Surely the Red Raven isn't your real name, is it just Raven?" he asked, changing the subject to her.

She shook her head. "I actually have a few names, depending on the situation. Most people know me as Raven, at the diner I work at I am Risa… The Red Raven is just a working title that others came up with and starting calling me by when I started working up a reputation around here," she explained.

He thought about what she said and realized something about how she said it. "So what's your real name?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter, I am dead under that name," she said.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Then it doesn't matter if I know it, not like I can use it against you at that rate," he said. "What is it?"

She sighed, knowing he wasn't going to let up. He had a point too. She hated that. "It's just Rei," she said.

"'Rei', huh?" he said as he leaned back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. "Your secret is safe with me," he smirked. "So… _Rei_, how did a young lady like you get into such a business?"

"It's a long story," she said.

"I'm not going anywhere," he smirked again.

"How about a trade? My story for yours."

"Deal, I promise I won't back out either," he said.

She looked up at the dark ceiling and thought about where to begin. "I guess it started several years ago. I was young and didn't know what to do. Then I joined an… organization for specialized training to become guards to towns, royalty, or for hire. I was there for a couple years and became one of the senior members that would start training the new recruits. That's when I found out the truth, we were never going to be guards. We were going to do the opposite. Instead of preventing anymore wars, we were going to start one… they were training us to be terrorists in our own land."

"I don't remember hearing of any new terrorist groups?" Sasori interjected.

She shook her head. "I remember soon after I found out, I decided to get out of there and go into hiding. I tore off my tags and left them on my bunk at the training camp. I was only a mile away when the entire camp was destroyed. I didn't know who caused it, but I didn't want anyone to think it was me, so I went into hiding for some time. I eventually found out that everyone was killed, and I was presumed dead as well. With no name, a shady background, and the possibly that someone might still be looking for me, I wound up here with the only trade I have," she said and shifted her unloaded gun.

"Did you ever find out who destroyed that place?" Sasori asked.

"Yes, they were destroyed by Sunagakure."

"…Oh," Sasori sweated.

"I already know you are from there originally, do not worry yourself about it," she said. "Now tell me, what is your story?"

"Mm, I don't feel like saying anymore…" he smirked.

"You know I can hurt you," she glared. "One finger is all I need to end your life here and now after hearing that story."

He scratched the top of his head and then rubbed his thighs. "Not much to tell I guess," he started. "I was too young to join the war, but as you might know Sunagakure started harsher more rigorous training for a while. I went through some of that until they decided I was old enough to start fighting because we were short on men. I was pretty good at all my assigned tasks, and then the landmine incident happened… no one came to help, I was left for dead. Somehow, I managed to live for a couple days because I tied off my own wound and sewed it closed with a wire. I tried to get back, but I couldn't make it. That's when Orochimaru found me and he took me to someplace disguised as a warehouse where I was taken care of. I didn't see Orochimaru after that for a long time. He had learned of my skills and had me put to work, saying I had to if I wanted to live. That's where I got even better. Since I was missing a leg and was stationary, it wasn't like I could escape, so first I made a new leg, a better one."

"Better how?"

"Weaponized," he answered. "Let's see… After working for the rest of my teen years, apparently I made quite the impression on him with my work and he decided to have me tested. I was forced into a situation where I had to kill multiple people all at the same time… since I passed, I met him again… and well… I didn't like him."

The Red Raven huffed a small laugh at that.

"Nonetheless, I worked for him for a while longer, doing a lot of dirty work, even for me, until I got moved to the main branch here. Though I didn't stay long before I joined the Akatsuki and disappeared. Since then he's been pretty pissed at me and has wanted me dead."

"When did you learn to play the piano?" she asked suddenly.

He looked at her. That was not a question he expected. "When I was very young, my parents taught me… that's why I don't mind playing back at the club, I feel like I'm close to them again when I'm playing."

"What did you want to do with your life before?"

He had to think about that one for a moment. It was hard to remember what he saw himself doing when he became an adult as a kid. "I think I wanted to be a carpenter."

"That's nice," she smiled. "I could see you doing that."

"What about you, _Rei_?" he put emphasis on her real name.

"Well… I didn't have anything in mind for myself when I was young, but somewhat recently, I decided that when I get the money put together, I was going to buy a small lot of land out someplace quiet and raise and train some animals, probably just dogs to start."

Sasori chuckled and she glared at him. "I'm sorry, I just didn't expect that… it sounds… nice," he repeated what she told him.

When he looked at her again, he found her eyes already on him and he stared into them once again. He didn't know why he kept doing that when he should know what she did to him by now, but every time, before he could stop himself, he found himself seeking out her gaze.

Sasori knew he wasn't thinking clearly. He was sleep deprived and this woman turned his usually sharp mind to mush. Without thinking clearly, he began to lean towards her, intent on taking her lips once again without her consent. As he drew closer, he swore he saw her begin to lean towards him as well, but he didn't get to find out what would happen because there a loud clank from the doorway and they both looked up.

The Red Raven gripped her gun in case it was not an ally. Luckily, it was just Deidara. He had a one last bomb to set in his hand, and that meant it was almost over.

With only a couple minutes left on the timer of the bombs, Deidara helped get Sasori outside and to the cars where everyone rejoined and drove off just before the bombs began to destroy the building a little bit at a time.

"No one found Orochimaru," was the last thing anyone said, before turning away from the crime scene.

As they got closer to the Club Akatsuki, they noticed a strange gloom of smoke coming from the area. It wasn't until they were almost there, that they found it was the club on fire. There were fire trucks parked outside as firemen were already soaking the place and putting out the fire.

Pain practically jumped out of the car and began to run towards the building when Konan yelled out to him, causing him to stop dead in his tracks as everyone besides Sasori got out of the cars and stared up at the smoking building.

Konan ran to Pain as she carried a heavy suitcase. It appeared to be what she was able to save from the building before escaping. Together they went back to the cars with everyone else.

"What in the world happened here?" Itachi asked.

Konan shook her head. "I don't know, but I have a guess who is responsible," she said.

"We weren't able to find Orochimaru," Pain said. "He probably did this personally as pay back, knowing that we were destroying his club after his right-hand, Kabuto, got too cocky and provoked us," he explained.

"Tobi doesn't like this!" Tobi popped up and sobbed.

"There, there," Deidara sighed. "At least you didn't live here…"

"Deidara can stay with Tobi!" Tobi hugged him and Deidara sweated.

"Since the club was already cleaned up, the cops shouldn't find anything incriminating, right?" Sasori asked from his place still sitting in the car with the door opened.

Pain nodded. "I'll have a talk with the police and find out what they think happened," he said as he walked away.

"So how did it go?" Konan asked Itachi.

"Kabuto is dead, so is most of the rest of them, and their club should be on fire now too," he answered.

"Well, that is one problem we do not have to worry about anymore," Konan said and the rest nodded.

The Red Raven stepped over to Suki and pulled her away from the cars to talk in private. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"I was going to be used against Itachi," Suki blushed. "You don't have to worry though, I'm never going to be in a situation like this again," she added.

"You mean…?"

Suki nodded. "Yeah, I'm giving up grifting, all my crimes are catching up with me, and I barely recognize myself half the time, it's time to quit," she explained.

The brunette woman sighed. "Good," she smiled. "Does this mean you're going back to your home town?"

Suki looked back at Itachi. "Yeah… it does."

"You fell for him for real, didn't you?"

Suki blushed as she pushed her blonde hair behind her ears. "I tried not to… and now I think he hates me…" she teared up but nothing spilled over.

"It'll turn out okay," she whispered as she place her hands on her friends shoulders. "Just in case, you should talk to him again soon, at least get closure for yourself, before you leave this town," she said.

"I will," the blonde nodded.

"Wait here, I need to check on something," Raven said as she stepped away and approached the car Sasori was sitting in.

"Hello, _Rei_," he smirked.

"You can just call me Raven like everyone else," she sighed.

"Nah, so what do you need?" he asked.

"Don't you live here?" she asked.

"Yeah, well, not at the moment I guess," he smirked.

"Where are you going to go?" she asked. There was next to no chance she was going to offer her place, but she was concerned.

"Once everyone leaves, I can get my spare leg from the warehouse and then Deidara and I will bunk at Tobi's place for awhile until we figure out what to do," he said. "Everything's already been planned out for this situation, there's no need to worry."

"I'm not worried," she tired. Sasori gave her a skeptical look and she simply looked away from him with a small blush. Suki was able to see this and giggled at them.

"Alright, you might not be worried, but I am, for one I'm going to be stuck with the two most annoying people on the planet and two, you really need to get that wound taken care of," he said as he reached over and poked her side, causing her yelp softly, but still just loud enough for everyone to look at her.

"So you weren't able to dodge everything," Itachi said in amazement. "It's a miracle this isn't a lot worse," he said as he looked at the tear in her clothes.

"Oh no! Tobi doesn't have the med kit!" Tobi sobbed. "Tobi left it inside!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Raven tired. "I'll just find a medic or go to a clinic," she said.

"There is no need for that," Konan said. "I am more than qualified to take care of that, please come with me," she said and ushered the assassin into a building across the street while still carrying the suitcase. It was a shop clearly labeled as a tobacco store, but they sure had a working sink and maybe a med kit.

Everyone watched as the flames died down until the firemen decided they were done. By then both the Red Raven and Konan had returned and waited until they heard from Pain.

"They think it was arson," Pain told them. "Luckily, most the damage is on the main floor and up the entire back wall. I will get an estimate on what it will cost to repair and rebuild tomorrow, but it seems we will be out of business for at least a few months, so until then, you are all on leave, use your time off wisely," Pain finished, and cast a direct knowing look at Itachi.

* * *

In the darkened streets, an elderly man with a violet trench coat and fedora walked with a cane that had a wooden snake's head. He wheezed occasionally as his aching body struggled to keep going.

"Curse that Kabuto, the fool…" he said angrily. "Too ambitious for his own good… if I want something done right, I have to do it myself it seems."

Finally, he reached his destination and looked up at the building. The same one that housed the Uchiha brothers. He knew the elder brother was away, but that was not the one he cared to see.

"Soon, Sasuke will me mine…" he hissed as he went inside.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

And then boom, everyone dead. The end.

Kidding. I would never rely on a lazy plot twist like that. You guys should like the ending that's coming up. The suspense will be over with shortly. Was this plot suspenseful at all? Well, we've just got Orochimaru to deal with before things can be wrapped up. What will happen to Sasuke? Read and find out next time.

(_Notes about spelling/grammar errors should be through PM only, thank you._)


	13. Move Forward: Free to Dream

**Club Akatsuki**

**Chapter 13 (Final)  
**

**Move Forward: Free to Dream**

Itachi finally got home in the middle of the night. He reached for the door handle to the apartment that he and his brother shared. Remembering Sasuke would probably be sleeping at this hour, Itachi began to move slower in attempt be very quiet. Just as his hand touched the handle, he heard a gunshot and jumped.

Itachi's eyes went wide when he realized that it did not come from the stairway, but from inside the apartment. Just as he ripped open the door, not even noticing that it wasn't locked, he saw Sasuke shoot a pistol, making an identical sound to the last gun shot. Itachi froze when he saw the other person drop to the floor.

"Orochimaru?" he didn't want to believe it.

Sasuke panted and then dropped the gun and looked at Itachi. "You… know this… freak?"

"How the hell did he get in here?" Itachi asked a bit harshly, though he didn't mean to. He slowly walked around the unmoving body laying on his living room floor.

"He showed up and knocked," Sasuke started. "Said he was from the Akatsuki and that you sent him… I quickly realized that was not the case…"

"What did he do to you?" Itachi's tone was accusing.

"Nothing!" Sasuke said and back away from the body. "He went on about a bunch on nonsense, I thought he was drunk, then he started saying how much he wanted me and other creepy things, when I told him to leave he tried to get me to go with him, it was crazy talk."

"Then what happened?"

"He pulled a gun on me so I pulled one on him," Sasuke explained. "Then he lunged at me, what was I supposed to do, he was saying things that sounded really gross."

Itachi kneeled down and checked this pulse. There was none. "This man wanted you as a subordinate, I think," Itachi explained. "Go get a sheet, we'll shove him in the car, and deal with him in the morning."

"Okay," Sasuke backed up a ways before he turned around and went to get the requested item.

They wrapped up the body and both carried the surprisingly lightweight man and shoved him haphazardly into Itachi's car. Dusting off their hands they went back inside. The whole task took them maybe ten minutes.

"I need to get a hold of Pain about this," Itachi said as Sasuke began to head to his own room. "Oh and by the way, Sasuke," Itachi started and Sasuke stopped and looked at him. Itachi motioned him over and as soon as Sasuke got close enough Itachi poked him in the forehead. "Good job," he said proudly and Sasuke had to fight the smile that began to rise up.

"I'm not a kid anymore," he said and backed away from Itachi's fingers. Then he turned quickly and returned to his room.

Itachi smiled. "You're right, you became a man before I realized it…" he whispered. "You don't need me anymore."

As he moved about the apartment, Itachi cleaned up himself, then the blood on the floor, followed by the table where the tea from earlier that evening still sat. All while thinking about what he was going to do. The club was going to be shut down for a while, so he was out of a job for the time being. Their biggest rival and threat was gone. There would still be a few underlings still loyal to Orochimaru's memory, but they would be easy to handle. The club would probably still run its black-market business out of the warehouse, but Itachi didn't have much to do with that unless Pain needed an extra set of hands or another pair of watchful eyes.

Pain had already said he and Konan were going to leave for a while, so Kakuzu and Zetsu were going to stay near the club to supervise its reconstruction. Itachi suspected the two were going to get married in their homeland. It was a clear indication that now was the optimal time for Itachi to take care of some important things as well. The first and foremost thing on his list of things he needed to take care of was Sasuke. Everything else in his life came second until the mission he had set out to do was complete.

Itachi's mind churned restlessly when he tried to get in a few hours of sleep before morning. He would get too hot under the covers of his simple bed, but then he would get too cold when he threw them off of him. After tossing and turning until the sun started to rise, he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Morning found Sasori in a bit of a sour mood. Tobi had got up bright and early declaring he was going to be a good host and tend to his guests' every need. Somehow, Deidara slept through all of Tobi's antics, but Sasori suspected Deidara had a hearing problem from being around so many explosives. The brat could probably sleep through a train wreck.

"Tobi, I don't need breakfast, you don't have to do that," Sasori tried to stop Tobi. The other man was attempting to make pancakes and wasn't very good at it. Besides, pancakes only reminded him of _her_.

"Tobi can do something else for Sasori," Tobi tilted his head to the side.

"How about you go get my leg?"

"Sure!" Tobi cheered. "Where is it and what does it look like?"

"It's in the warehouse, it's in my trunk, and it looks like this," Sasori pointed towards his good leg. "Except artificial, got it?"

"Be back in a flash!" Tobi declared and dashed out the door.

Sasori sighed and leaned back in his seat. At least it appeared Tobi remembered to turn off the stove before he rushed off. Since Tobi didn't live far from the club, it wouldn't take him long to retrieve the item he asked for.

After only a few minutes of sitting in silence, Deidara woke up and went to the bathroom. Then he sat at the table in the seat across from Sasori. "Any plans?" the blond-man asked.

"For what?"

"For starters, what are you going to do with your time off?"

Sasori shook his head, indicating he didn't know yet. "I haven't yet thought about it," he said.

"Going to spend time with your girl?" Deidara asked seriously.

"She's not mine," Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Why not?" Deidara asked.

Sasori opened his mouth to reply, but found he didn't have an answer. "Too complicated, I suppose."

"I dunno, my man, seems to be the least complicated you're ever going to find," Deidara said.

"It doesn't matter now," Sasori said. "She'll be leaving this town soon enough and I'll never see her again."

"What? When did you find that out?" Deidara exclaimed.

"She told me last night, right before she left after Pain paid her," the red-head explained. "She doesn't want to spend her life in this town, who would? The average expected lifespan here is only thirty-five years old because of all the crime. Heck, I'm almost at the end of my life-expectancy if I stick around much longer, why would someone like her willingly get into that situation?"

"Why don't you go after her?" Deidara asked.

"…Because…" Sasori didn't want to admit he had already been rejected.

"…What happened?" Deidara asked accusingly and Sasori looked away. "You tried something and she slapped you, didn't she?"

"What? She didn't slap me," Sasori glared.

"But you _did_ try something, hopefully nothing too unseemly."

"No! It was just a… it was nothing…"

"Uh-huh," Deidara said skeptically. "So basically, she didn't slap you… I take that as you have one more chance to win her over, my man, go for it," he winked.

"Please," Sasori sighed. "I'm too old for this nonsense."

"Psh, it's your sad and lonely life, at least you'll always have me and Tobi to keep you company," Deidara grinned.

"…I'll visit her workplace as soon as possible."

"That's the spirit!"

As Tobi burst through the door, he was already cheering. "Tobi just heard from Boss that Sound-Boss is dead! Little Brother Uchiha was attacked last night and Sound-Boss went boom!" Tobi explained while holding an artificial leg over his head.

"Well, shoot," Deidara sighed. "We did all that searching for the old man for nothing then. Wonder if this means the boss will hire Itachi's kid brother too?"

"I doubt it," Sasori said as he took his leg and got to work. "Itachi's too protective of the kid to let him join up with our kind."

"Sasori's moving fast," Tobi observed.

"Of course he is, he's going to go see his girlfriend," Deidara explained.

"Yay! Can Tobi come too?"

"No," Sasori said immediately while Deidara sniggered. "Say Tobi, why don't you make Deidara breakfast too?" he suggested and Tobi got excited and got to work. As soon as he was able, Sasori was up and walking again like normal. "There, that feels good, I knew this would work."

After he cleaned himself up a bit, he was out the door. He was a bit sore from his injuries, but he wasn't going to willingly spend another minute trapped inside with the idiot pair. Besides, he had questions of his own that he wanted answered. What those questions were exactly, he wasn't sure. He knew he felt unsure and anxious, and she was the source.

As Sasori approached Cid's Diner, he saw Itachi approaching from the other direction and they met up at the door. "What are you doing here?" he asked the Uchiha.

"Uh… I'm just here for breakfast…" he hesitated. "How about you?"

"…Uh… same," Sasori said.

It was too obvious they were lying and Itachi decided to drop the act. "You think they are working today?" he asked casually.

Sasori glanced through the glass of the door. "I hope so," he said and they both moved to go inside. "I don't see either of them, they must be in back," he said and moved to take a seat.

Itachi joined him. "I noticed you're not hiding your appearance as much," Itachi commented as he reached into his jacket and pulled out his cigarettes and matches. Once he took once of each for himself, he left the items on the table in offering to Sasori.

Sasori nodded and took one as well. He lit his cigarette and took a couple drags before speaking again. "I don't have to anymore, now that those that wanted me gone are gone themselves," he answered as he pushed up his fedora a little.

"I see," Itachi said and shifted his cigarette between his fingers. He thought about removing his own hat, but decided to wait.

"Welcome to Cid's, what can I get you?" a waitress asked after she stopped next to their table.

Both Itachi and Sasori looked up and were disappointed. "Can you get the blonde waitress, Yukiko? She usually takes my order," Itachi asked, remembering her work name.

"I'm sorry, she quit this morning, said she was leaving town," the woman explained. "Lucky girl, though I don't see how she could leave you behind," she winked.

"What about… Risa? Can you get her?" Sasori interjected. He struggled to remember her work name.

The waitress shifted uncomfortably as she tried to keep a happy face. "Her last day was yesterday, she's had her train ticket out of here for days," she explained.

"What?" Sasori muttered.

"So I guess I'll be your usual girl now, what can I get for you?" she asked.

Itachi stood up and grabbed his things off the table. "I have to go," he said.

Sasori was surprised by Itachi's rudeness and apologized to the girl, which was a bit unlike him, but the situation was already unusual. After quickly pardoning himself, he followed Itachi to the sidewalk. "This was… sudden," Sasori said as he thought. He had no idea Raven was already planning on leaving.

"I messed up," Itachi said. "I shouldn't have been so harsh, I mean, who am I to judge a person because of the mask they wear? I'm such a hypocrite."

"What are you saying?" Sasori asked. "Did something happen on your date?"

Itachi chuckled in spite of himself. "I guess you could say that," he shook his head. "But now, she's probably out there thinking she's the scum of the Earth, when she is still worlds better than I am," he said. "I just wanted to set things right and maybe… try again, without the masks."

"Masks, huh?" Sasori pushed his fedora back down and looked at the sidewalk. "I think I know what you mean." They were silent as they smoked their cigarettes for a bit. "Are you going to find her anyway?"

"…You know… I think I will," Itachi smirked. "I have some time off, it's time to take Sasuke back home anyway. Not to mention I think I know where Suki will go next."

"That's fortunate," Sasori said. "I have no idea what I am going to do with my time off."

"I would say get out of this town, haven't you been training Deidara all this time to take over for you?" Itachi said. "Not to mention, you've been quite smitten with the Red Raven, maybe you should try to see her again."

Sasori finished his cigarette and smothered the remains on the sidewalk. "I have been training Deidara to take over when I die, not when I leave."

"Same result," Itachi sighed.

"Still, you are right about one thing," Sasori started. "I want to see her again, and I am willing to give chase a bit to do it," he smirked.

"Good luck," Itachi waved as Sasori walked off. No doubt that he was going to the train station to see if she would show up there.

"Good luck to you as well," Sasori said.

Itachi blew out a long stream of smoke before smothering the last of his own cigarette. He supposed he needed to talk to Pain again about taking an official leave. Pain had already told him that he expected it, and asked to give him noticed when the decision was made. It would only be mere weeks before Itachi could leave. Sasuke was about to finish up his school term, and they could pack up their things and drive off once again. Itachi had no idea what to expect after that. Still, he would move forward.

* * *

When Sasori arrived at the train station, he wasn't sure what he expected to find. She could have left already, and he had to idea where her destination would be. Even if he wanted to follow her, he couldn't, because he might never find her.

A train was just leaving when he went inside. He had a feeling she was probably on that train and tried to figure out which train it was so he could find out where it was going. Any clue that could help.

Then as he scanned the area, he suddenly stopped when he saw a red cloche hat with a red bow and black feather sticking out of it. That feather, he knew it right away. It was a raven feather. It might be her, which meant it wasn't too late after all.

Sasori quickly moved towards the woman in the red hat. He was unable to run, but he could still move quickly. As he got closer, he saw she was wearing a long brown coat and had a white trunk with her, as well as a black shoulder bag. "Raven!" he called out as she began to walk away, but she didn't turn around. "Rei!" he tried and this time, she paused just long enough for him to catch up.

"Sasori? What are you doing here?" she asked when she saw it was him.

"Don't go yet," he said.

"I have to," she told him.

"But, we were just got on good terms, we were just getting to know each other," he tried.

"I'm sorry."

Sasori felt anger rise up. "Don't you understand what you have done to me?" he snapped at her.

She took a step back. "I… I can't," she started. "I can't get close to a mark…"

He looked at her with wide eyes. That was her excuse? That was the best she had? "That was the Red Raven's mark, not Rei's, I want the chance to get to know Rei," he argued as he took her hand.

"What do want me to say?"

Sasori paused, unsure of how to respond to that at first. "I want you to say that… I make you crazy too," he started. "That you'll give me a chance to make a good impression on you."

She pulled her hand away and sighed. "Okay," she said.

"'Okay' what?"

"I will give you that chance, but just one, got that?" she said and he nodded. "I am moving to Konoha to start a new life, I have a dream that I want to see become a reality, if you want your chance so much, you are free to come find me when you are ready."

"But how will I know where…" he started but didn't get to finish, because she pulled out a piece of paper from her shoulder bag and slipped it into his hand.

"That's where I will be staying," she said with a faint blush. "I have to go now, I don't want to miss my train," she added.

"When should I come see you?" he asked her, taking her hand again so she couldn't walk away.

"…In one month," she answered. "I'll be waiting," she said and raised herself onto her toes to peck his cheek, making both of them blush. "Until then," she said and walked away.

"Bye…" he said and rubbed his cheek before finally turning back around. After he left the train station, he looked at the paper and found her name and an address located in Konoha. Now he new that he had one month to tie up any loose ends here, make sure the others knew he was leaving, and that Deidara was trained enough, because Sasori knew that once he left, he wasn't going to be coming back.

* * *

Months later, Itachi had settled back in Konoha. When he returned to drop off his brother, their mother cried and begged him to at least stay for a visit. Turned out many of the Uchiha had regrets, and many even wanted to revoke Itachi's banishment so he could become the head of the family. He had refused, and talked up Sasuke a great deal until they agreed to give the younger Uchiha a chance. So far, they seemed to be pleased.

He didn't live with the rest of the Uchiha. Chances were he never would again after everything that happened. Instead, he chose to live nearby, only to be close to Sasuke. He got another job in the family law enforcement, where he thought his experience and knowledge would be best put to use while upholding his family's image.

He ran into Sasori a few times. Itachi hardly recognized the man. If it was possible, the red-head looked even more youthful in his recent happiness. It appeared things were working out pleasantly for Sasori. Itachi also bought a table and a dresser from him when he found out Sasori became a carpenter. He was doing quite well for himself and did excellent work. Konoha was the perfect place for such a trade. Good thing too since he was trying to prove he could support a wife before he got married. Apparently he was already engaged.

One evening, when Itachi had the night off, he went to a show while wearing his best suit and hat. He had got the ticket far in advance so he would be sitting in the center of the front row. Without her knowing for the entire show, he was there for Suki's first solo singing performance on stage. She sang wonderfully. Obviously focused and well practiced. Her blonde hair, fair skin, and light pink gown glowed under the spotlight.

It wasn't until she curtsied at the end of the performance while everyone applauded that she made eye contact with Itachi. He smiled as he continued to clap, and to his surprise, she smiled back before the curtains closed. As the auditorium cleared out, he snuck his way back stage instead.

It didn't take long at all before he found her. She had a dressing room and the door was still open as she stood in front of the mirror as she put on a pink ruffle brim cartwheel sunhat. In the reflect of that mirror, she saw Itachi stop in the doorway and knock on the frame.

"May I come in," he asked, using is most eloquent tone.

Suki smiled at the mirror and turned around. "You may," she said.

He stepped in but didn't approach her. "I didn't know you could sing," he started.

"I have been practicing for a very long time," she said.

He reached into his jacket and removed a rose. "Instead of tossing this on stage, I thought I should give it to you in person," he said.

Suki blushed and moved closer to him to take the rose. "Thank you," she bowed her head.

There was a bit of a tense silence that hung in the air for a few seconds. "So… did you return home?" he asked. "To that fiancé?"

Suki giggled slightly at his tone. He appeared jealous. "Not right away," she admitted. "But I visited a few days ago. Now that I have my own life and career, now that I have made a name for myself and am completely independent, it's hard for my family to force anything on me," she explained.

"I see," he said with a small sigh of relief.

"Not to mention, since I was gone so long, that so-called-fiancé married someone else," she laughed. "My problem with him kind of resolved itself."

Itachi laughed with her a little. "So does mean you are free?" he asked.

"Are you asking me to go to dinner with you again Mr. Uchiha?" she asked playfully.

"Indeed I am," he said and she opened her mouth to say something but he stopped her by raising a finger. "As long as no games are involved," he added with a wink.

Suki laughed. "I can assure you, I am done with games," she said.

"Good, you should know I have put away my deck for good," he smiled. "With that said, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner?" he asked as he offered her his hand.

She gave him a small smile as her eyes softened. "It would be my pleasure," she finally answered and place her hand in his. "I look forward to getting to know you," she said.

They began to walk down the hall to leave the theatre. "There is not a lot to know, I am actually a pretty simply fellow," he said.

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "You are more complicated than a single-colored puzzle," she said and they both laughed at the lame joke.

"At least I am not wearing a mask anymore," he said.

"There is no mask here either," she told him.

"Good, then we can start fresh," he said. "I hope you like sweets."

* * *

The End.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Thank you very much for reading. Hope you enjoyed the ending and were satisfied. Hope you enjoyed this story and were on the edge of your seat a time of two. I hope it made you laugh, gasp, maybe shed a tear, or even face-palm. Hope you had fun. Hope you liked the characterizations that went along with this setting.

Even if it's been years since this was posted and you are just now reading or rereading this story, please review.

_(Notes about spelling/grammar error should be through PM only, thank you.)_

Fun facts:

1. Can you believe this story was originally going to be 7 chapters long?

2. Sasori's back story also had a lot more abuse and slave work than I actually revealed.

3. Sasori and Raven were originally going to shoot each other. He was never more turned on in his life.

4. Raven's sniper rifle is named a Ninja-hunter 11B.

5. Raven and Suki are reoccurring OCs that show up in most of my fanfics. They are fairly different in personality each time, while sticking to certain basics. This story featured Raven's new design, where she has brown hair and glasses to reflect the major changes to her character over the years and how different she is from my other versions of "Raven", hence, she was also renamed with the more Japanese name of "Rei".


End file.
